Car parking charges in Helensburgh should be suspended during the run-up to Christmas, the town’s community council has said.
Norman Muir, convener of the community council, wrote to Argyll and Bute following discussion on shopping experiences in the town during the festive season.
The proposal was backed unanimously by community councillors, with the free section of the town’s pier car park currently closed for construction of the town’s new waterfront leisure centre.
It is also suggested that the proposal – which would last from December 14 to Christmas Eve – could appeal to the other three areas of Argyll and Bute.
Mr Muir said members wanted to make shopping in the town as attractive and inclusive as possible, despite the continuing Covid-19 pandemic.
“We are fortunate in having a number of retailers within the community council and were able to lean heavily on their retail experience in the town,” he added.
“The severe curtailment of parking within the town centre due to the construction of the leisure centre has impacted on the retail footfall and is a constant source of annoyance among residents.
“This tends to be exacerbated by the increase in shopping activity in the run-up to Christmas.
“A consensus developed at the meeting that a suspension of parking fees in all the car parks in Helensburgh from December 14-24 would be a significant boost to the morale of people in the area and reflect very positively on Argyll and Bute management.
“Although the proposal gained unanimous support from the community council and has been forwarded for consideration, the universality of its appeal and application to the other three areas in Argyll and Bute is self-evident.”
A similar arrangement has been proposed in Paisley from December 1 to January 3 and is due to be debated by Renfrewshire councillors this week.
Argyll and Bute Council has been contacted for comment.
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