A radical overhaul of city centre parking has been revealed by council bosses in Perth.
The new plan is a direct response to calls for action from retailers after the collapse of department store McEwens.
Many traders argue that a lack of available bays and problems with accessibility are driving potential shoppers away to out-of-town retail sites.
A package of proposals for the city centre area will be brought before members of Perth and Kinross Council’s enterprise and infrastructure committee next week.
The local authority wants to revamp waiting restrictions along Tay Street to create 26 new parking bays at the riverside and six more near the Royal George Hotel.
After businesses raised concerns that there were too many disabled spaces on South Street, the council now proposes to remove 10 of them and make them into traditional pay-and-display spaces.
To soften the blow of these changes, the council has pledged to installed enhanced disabled parking as part of a £1.5million refurbishment of the Canal Street multi-storey site.
Tender documents are now being prepared for the long-awaited redevelopment and the project is expected to be completed by early December.
Among the improvements planned are wider spaces, better lighting, CCTV security and improved, larger approaches to ramps.
Council officers have also reviewed parking on Princes Street and now plan to create five new pay and display sites, plus a loading bay.
The Thimblerow car park on the edge of the city centre, which is earmarked for a massive new shopping and cinema complex, will in the meantime be returned to a long stay site. Councillors agreed in June to limit users at the car park to a four hour stay.
Meanwhile, a project team has been tasked with investigating a possible cashless payment system, so drivers can make payments using a phone app or customer account instead of having to root around for small change.
It is hoped that such a set-up could be introduced this autumn.
The parking shake-up will cost the council about £66,000 to install new ticket machines and road signs.
It is proposed that the Free-from-Two scheme, which offers parking free-of-charge after 2pm in the winter months, will run from the end of November until January 27, next year. If approved, the move will cost the council some £60,000 in lost income.
There are also plans to offer concessionary parking for conference delegates
However, the review does not tackle issues at sites operated by controversial private firm Smart Parking. Many have blamed the company’s tactics – particularly at the Kinnoull Street multi-storey – for driving potential customers away.
The council confirmed talks with Smart Parking were ongoing.
If backed by councillors on Wednesday, the changes will be the subject of a public consultation exercise.
