Town centre chiefs in Kirkcaldy have ramped up the rivalry with out-of-town retail parks by producing a cheeky video criticising the competition.
Kirkcaldy4All’s effort, entitled ‘The Car Park Limbo’, may be a little tongue-in-cheek promotional message to highlight the beneficial parking in the town centre versus the Fife Central Retail Park on the outskirts of the Lang Toun, but there is a serious message behind it as town centre bosses aim to increase footfall this summer.
Parking in and around the High Street area has long been perceived as a problem for visitors, and is often seen as one of the key drivers behind shoppers apparently choosing retail park provision in favour of the town centre.
However, Bill Harvey, who is manager of the Kirkcaldy4All Business Improvement District (BID), says those involved with promoting the town centre are determined do whatever they can to encourage more people back to the High Street and its surroundings.
“It’s just an attempt at a wee bit of humour, but at the same time it’s an advertisement for Kirkcaldy Town Centre and what we’ve got to offer,” Mr Harvey noted.
“It wasn’t particularly aimed at the retail park but we do hear people complaining that retail parks can become quite crowded so this was done to basically get two points across – that we’re open for business, and that people can use our car parks for just £1.
“We’ve carried out quite a few surveys and parking is listed almost every time as the number one issue, certainly among members of the public.”
The short video, which is now on YouTube, has been sent out to BID members in Kirkcaldy, and they have been asked to share it on social media platforms to get the message out.
Footage shows a female shopper at the Fife Central Retail Park struggling to get into her vehicle due to a car parked alongside, dubbing the rigmarole the ‘The Car Park Limbo’, and compares that experience with the new-look Esplanade Car Park serving the town centre which now has extra wide bays for ease of access.
And urging people to visit the town centre, it calls on shoppers to make their shopping experience “more spine-tingling and less back breaking”.
Although the retail park parking bays are free of charge, Kirkcaldy4All is fighting back and, working with Fife Council, offered a six-month trial of reduced charges for all council car parks in the town centre.
That proved a success and the trial was extended for one year in April, meaning that parking in short-stay and long-stay car parks is just £1 for up to two hours. Season ticket prices in central and convenient long-stay car parks were also halved to help encourage footfall.
Mr Harvey concluded: “Without a doubt with the rise in retail parks, we’ve got to fight hard to maintain our town centres because they are very important to the economy.
“In Kirkcaldy town centre we’ve got a diverse range of businesses with plenty to offer, so it’s well worth a visit.”
