On Monday 9th November Newport and Carisbrooke Community Council (NCCC) will consider a motion from Cllr Geoff Brodie (Newport East) calling for the town centre to have the same free parking choices as all other Island towns.
The Motion reads:
“Members of NCCC are increasingly concerned at the continuing demise of the retail offer of our town centre, particularly resulting from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic over the last eight months. 40 plus empty shops were recently identified by a former independent shop owner.
“NCCC notes that Newport is the only town centre in the Island that has no offer of at least 30 minutes free car parking in its main streets, apart from the popular Upper St James St (Node Hill). This is reflected for example in the relative, retail vibrancy of Union Street, Ryde, within our closest comparator town, which has one hour’s free parking.
“NCCC, therefore, calls on the Isle of Wight Council to introduce at least 30 minutes free parking in all the Newport town centre streets currently charged for – High St, Holyrood St, Lugley St, New St, Pyle St, Orchard St and Quay St – and its short stay car parks as part of its 2021/22 Budget.
“NCCC will initiate a campaign within the wider community to press for this change in Isle of Wight Council parking policy.”
Brodie: Clearly discriminatory to independent shops within our town
Cllr Brodie said,
“Clearly something serious has to be done to help our town centre survive and this is a first step. There are many independent shops, but the multiples and some other independents are pulling out. It has always been the case that Newport is treated differently to other towns.
“This is clearly discriminatory to the independent shops within our town. Node Hill is full of independents and well used, but it is just a very short street with free parking that is always full to capacity.
“If Newport is to recover from Covid-19 then we need the IW Council to treat the town the same as all other towns.”
Brodie: IWC motion a more difficult challenge
Cllr Brodie fully expects his Motion to be agreed by his Newport and Carisbrooke colleagues and has also submitted a similar Motion to this month’s Isle of Wight Council meeting on 18th November.
He commented,
“That will be a more difficult challenge.”
News shared by Geoff Brodie in his own words. Ed
