Agenda item

Following the approval of a Motion at the Council meeting in October, 2025, to consider offering free or discounted car parking for shoppers in Aldershot and Farnborough town centres (copy of Motion wording attached).

 

Lee McQuade, Economy and Growth Service Manager, will be in attendance at the meeting to provide a short presentation and to guide the discussion.

The Board welcomed Mr Lee McQuade, Economy and Growth Service Manager, who provided information that had been established in response to the approval of a Motion at the October, 2025 Council meeting that had called upon the Board to consider whether free or discounted car parking might be offered to shoppers in Aldershot and Farnborough town centres. The wording of the agreed Motion was attached to the agenda and requested that officers, under guidance from PPAB, should develop a suitable method of consulting residents, local businesses and potential investors about the likely impact of free or discounted parking and how it might work best. Furthermore, it was requested that the Portfolio Holder should present the findings to PPAB to allow it to make recommendations to the Cabinet in time for next year’s budget.

 

The Board was advised that the evidence showed that parking cost could influence behaviour and that high charges could discourage short visits, impulse shopping and the use of cafes and other hospitality outlets but it was also acknowledged that cost was not the only factor. In terms of cost, charges in Aldershot and Farnborough town centres appeared to be comparable to or lower than those levied in Camberley, Basingstoke and Guildford town centres. Research showed that visiting shoppers valued a range of factors including:

 

·                    Retail and leisure offer

 

·                    Ease of parking /  availability of spaces

 

·                    Proximity to shops

 

·                    Safety and attractiveness of the town

 

·                    Cost - though evidence suggested that convenience, relative to what the visitor wanted to purchase or experience, mattered more than price of parking

 

Mr McQuade explained that the Welsh Government had commissioned a report called ‘Assessing the impact of car parking charges on town centre footfall’ and that this had concluded that parking cost was only ‘one aspect of a complex interplay’ influencing visitor behaviour and that the evidence linking changes in parking charges to changes in footfall was ‘very weak’. The report added that towns performed best when parking policy was combined with:

 

·                    Strong retail and leisure mix

 

·                    Events and animation

 

·                    Attractive public spaces

 

·                    Market and place branding

 

Other evidence had come to similar conclusions; that parking costs were a factor in town centre performance but not the main one. In concluding his presentation, Mr McQuade explained that some parking in town centres was already free, such as the privately owned car park at Morrisons’ in Aldershot. It was also pointed out that any reduction in car parking income would have a negative impact on the Council’s revenue position, which would need to be evaluated and considered. The proposed approach to progress this matter was to;

 

·                    Assess the impact of limited / targeted changes e.g. time limited offers at specific car parks

 

·                    Test those approaches with businesses and residents (would require resources)

 

·                    Come back to PPAB with options, possibly at the meeting in March

 

In discussing the content of the presentation, the Board raised the following points:

 

·                    Promotion to local resident and visitors of any parking offers would be key

 

·                    Infrastructure within town centres would also need to be in place, such as working escalators and lifts at the Wellington Centre in Aldershot

 

·                    Should consider reducing cost of parking at periods before and after school run / work, such as 9am to midday and 3pm to 6pm

 

·                    Must remember the green agenda and encourage alternative forms of transport, such as busses, ensuring that public transport services are joined up

 

·                    Recall that free parking was offered in High Street Multi Storey in Aldershot in late 90s/early 00s – thought to have had some effect on footfall but not much

 

·                    If wanting to support local businesses, should the Council look at rent and rates instead? It was considered that these would be likely to have a greater impact in supporting businesses than changes to parking costs and it was important to consider what outcomes any policy changes were trying to achieve

 

·                    PPAB would need to understand revenue implications of free parking to make an informed recommendation

 

·                    Requested that Mr McQuade should share the data used for presentation with PPAB members

 

·                    Important that PPAB focusses on the wording of the Motion in relation to free parking as opposed to other initiatives, such as the suggested refund of parking charges as a result of spending a certain amount in town – the motion requested that only changes to parking charges be considered, not any other interventions to support town centre businesses

 

·                    Should Council be encouraging residents to park outside of town centres and walk in, whilst protecting blue badge holders?

 

·                    ‘Pop in bays’ appeared to work well elsewhere

 

·                    What events / special days could be hosted / supported to bring footfall into town centres?

 

·                    Could any initiatives be advertised on Council Tax bills?

 

The Chair thanked Mr McQuade for his input and confirmed that this item would be programmed to be discussed again at the Board’s meeting on 24th March, 2026.