Parking charges could be slashed in a bid to boost the economy of Kirkcaldy’s ailing town centre.
Shoppers will pay only £1 to park for two hours if the proposal is backed by councillors.
A six-month trial of reduced fares for town centre car parks is part of an action plan being devised to lure shoppers back to High Street.
The town centre already suffering from the popularity of out-of-town sites and online shopping was struck a blow by the loss of its Tesco supermarketearlier this year.
The trial will also see charges reduced to £2 for two to four hours’ parking and £3 for four hours or more.
Currently, £1 pays for an hour’sparking, £1.50 for one to two hours, £2 for two to three hours (or £2.50 for two to four hours in long-stay car parks) and £3.60 for more than four hours.
Quarterly season ticket prices will be halved from £120 to £60.
Bill Harvey, manager of Business Improvement District, Kirkcaldy4All, said: “Kirkcaldy4All commissioned an independent report on parking and this brought parking issues and how they have proved to be a barrier to people coming and shopping in the town centre to the attention of Fife Council.
“It is good that Fife Council haslistened and is acting.
“This is a first step towards trying to resolve parking issues. Parking is part of a package of factors that affect towncentres, including changes in howpeople spend their money and shopping online, so we are trying to deal with something that we can influence.
“It’s worth noting this is a six-month trial, so we are hoping the public willsupport it and come and shop in the town centre.”
Based on current usage, the scheme would reduce council income by £25,000 to £30,000 but a strong uptake could mitigate losses.
The proposal will be recommended to the Kirkcaldy area committee on Wednesday. Its chairman, councillor Neil Crooks, said: “Parking and parking charges have featured as top priorities in our desire to support and maintainKirkcaldy town centre.
“The Tesco closure brought asignificant change to our town centre, which has not been replicatedelsewhere. This allowed me to have Kirkcaldy’s case stand alone for action.
“Our ability to underwrite anypossible losses from the action usingthe administration’s town centres regeneration fund was the final piece of the jigsaw to break the deadlock and I am so happy to be able to present this outcome to pay less and stay longer.”
On-street parking charges willremain the same.