Fisher & Donaldson owner Eric Milne wants Fife Council to restore car parking spaces on South Street to pre-pandemic numbers.
He would like officials to reverse temporary changes, introduced at the start of lockdown, which gave more street space to pavements, cafes and pedestrians.
He said: “I am desperately trying to keep St Andrews busy and healthy, for the sake of my business and my 120 staff across Fife.
“The town is in decline.
“When I see seven empty units in the town… I am getting really worried.
“People come to the town for shops. And if the shops die, the town centre dies.
“And then you may as well have a dust bowl.”
The lack of parking is ‘scaring customers away’
Fife Council is holding a consultation on the future layout of South Street.
Further South Street changes could include widening footways, adding public seating, tables, planters, trees and cycle parking.
It could also mean the end to businesses seating customers on pavement tables.
“All we’re doing is scaring customers away,” he said.
“I have customers at my shop in St Andrews who now go to my Cupar shop, because we’ve got free parking outside the shop there.
“All we’re doing is removing the parking, removing the parking – and not replacing any of the parking.”
Eric has been a vocal critic of the Spaces for People erected in the town during the pandemic.
“They should be putting in more parking to encourage people to shop local,” Eric continued.
“We are killing the town centre.
“(The council is) messing up St Andrews at the behest of Active Travel Fife.”
Fife Council behaving ‘like Stalin’
Eric accused Fife Council of “railroading” the consultation through during the festive period “when the businesses don’t have time to fight it.”
“I’m just so disappointed.
“(Businesses) have been pushed into a corner.
“How do you eat an elephant?” He asked. “It’s one slice at a time.
“All the parking is being nibbled away.
“It’s like Stalin,” he claimed.
“You are in charge of the committee, you write the agenda, and then you get the answers you want.
“It’s a ‘Stalinist’ viewpoint by the council.”
Allan MacLean is lead sustainable traffic and travel consultant with Fife Council.
He said: “We understand that there are different opinions about the benefits of the footway extensions in South Street.
“It’s important, therefore, to make use of the consultation to have your say.
“The widened footways are temporary. However, if there is public support then these areas could be rebuilt with permanent drainage and high-quality surfacing materials.”
The rebuilt spaces could include more room for pedestrians, seating, improved disability provision, plants and cycle parking, he explained.
The survey is available here and is open until January 11.
Conversation