Perth Road businesses have demanded urgent action on parking ahead of a public consultation aimed at revitalising trade.
Dundee City Council has announced a public discussion on ways to breathe fresh life into the area is to be staged.
Planning Officers will be in attendance to listen to and discuss the thoughts of attendees at the meeting, which will take place on Tuesday November 8 from 12 noon until 6pm at The Tartan Café, on Perth Road.
The consultation was announced after community leaders and local business owners expressed increasing concerns about what they perceive to be declining footfall in the area.
West End Community Council leader Peter Menzies believes poor parking and problems with the wider infrastructure in the area is leading to many independent business owners feeling the squeeze.
Mr Menzies will be campaigning for as many local firms as possible to attend the meeting.
He explained: “I would hope the consultation framework will be able to address the problems that we have had.
“The Perth Road is used by people who park up and walk in and out of town.
“If people can’t get parked then they can’t access retailers.
“This is a great shopping area, but we need the infrastructure to be in place.”
West End councillor Fraser Macpherson said that he has long felt the council could do more to help businesses in the area.
“We are very keen to work with the business community, we want to take the business community with us,” he said.
“Things like having a Perth Road shopping brand to encourage greater footfall and environmental improvements, things as simple as that.”
Many of the independent shop owners dotted along Perth Road highlighted parking as the single most frustrating issue facing both business owners and shoppers.
Carol Urban, who owns Urban Print, said she received a ticket only that morning after parking outside her shop.
She said: “Quite often when I arrive to open up my shop I will park out the front but then get distracted by a customer or a phone call like this morning and the next minute I have a ticket.
“I have had loads in the past.”
Florist Diane Watson, who has run Impulse Flowers for the past six years, said: “One of my customers got a ticket yesterday and it makes you feel really guilty because they’re visiting your shop.
“I think a lot of people would rather go to Tesco’s or something to buy everything they need if they can because they don’t have problems with parking.”
Martin Smith, who works in West End Gallery, said that often customers will be in a rush because of the short time they are able to park.
He said: “The parking situation is ridiculous.
“Customers are often in a rush so it’s not ideal for shopping and a couple of weeks ago, one was issued with a parking ticket; she wasn’t happy at all.”
However, Garry Grubb, who opened Garry Grubb Goldsmith’s on Perth Road in 2000, said that he believes the volume of cars is also an issue.
He said: “It’s worse now than it’s ever been because there are so many vehicles on the road now and they expect to be able to park everywhere they go.
“In all my time on Perth Road, parking has always been a problem. I think we need some kind of multi-storey car park to make it easier for everyone.”
Dundee City Council’s city development convener Will Dawson said that listening to the views of those who both work in and visit the area will be vital in finding a solution.
He said: “We know how important it is to maintain, enhance and strengthen the vitality, viability and vibrancy of the Perth Road so that every member of the community can benefit from easy access to the wide range of shopping and related facilities it offers.
“We want people to have their say on the issues facing Perth Road.”
