Plans to introduce ‘free after 2pm’ parking scheme in town welcomed by local businesses

News that a free parking pilot scheme is set to be introduced in Wrexham town centre has been welcomed by local businesses.

Executive board members will tomorrow be asked to give the go ahead to free after 2pm in all its carparks – excluding Ty Pawb – in a bid to attract visitors and support local businesses.

If approved the scheme will begin in April and will run for 12 months as a trial – with footfall, carpark use and sales data being used to measure the success and the impact on the town.

Speaking last week Cllr Mark Pritchard, leader of Wrexham Council, said he had spoken with some UK national chains who could be considering their futures in towns and cities across the UK, and hoped that such action by the council would be seen favourably and that they were ‘doing our bit’.

He added: “It is important to support and help local shops and independent shops, and the town. It has taken time but we have got there and I would like to thank councillors for their political support for this.

“We are running this for 12 months as it is important to give it time to bed in. Lots has been said about parking, but we are actually doing it. In other councils they have moved away from this, but we are doing it.”

The announcement has been welcomed by members of the Town Centre Forum, which last year ran a petition calling for the local authority to freeze the proposed parking tariff increase and trial a “free after 3pm” scheme.

Town Centre Vice-Chairman, Andy Gallanders of Café Bank Street Social said: “We are pleased by the willingness of the council to listen and urge that the Executive Committee adopt this report.

“This is good for local businesses, good for the local economy and good for local jobs.”

Town Centre Forum Chairman, Wayne Price of AMP Accounting added: “This is an excellent step in the right direction and Wrexham’s local businesses welcome this proposal.

“We thank them for looking at this and we relish promoting this incentive with the help of the council.

“Parking was outlined in a report commissioned by WCBC in conjunction with Manchester Metropolitan University with the aim of improving the economy of the town centre and we have asked for some clarification regarding this.”