IT may be the best street in the UK, but this weekend it will receive a slightly more dubious accolade -most expensive parking spot in Liverpool.
The “Cultural Quarter” around Hope Street is to be left with the highest rates for on-street parking from Friday, when charges for the rest of the city centre GO DOWN.
The blow comes just weeks after Hope Street was declared the best street in the country by the Centre for Urbanism. Full story and poems here.
Less than a year ago, charges in the Hope Street and Rodney Street zone were raised from £1.40 an hour to £2.20 to match parking meter charges in the city centre inner control zone.
Review
The way we were But what goes up, does not necessarily come down and this week, when charges in the rest of the city centre fall to £2 an hour, the premium rates in the cultural zone will remain.
Today the city council confirmed the higher charges in the zone which houses two universities, two cathedrals, a theatre, concert hall, scores of medical consulting rooms, offices, bars and restaurants.
Hope Street and Rodney Street will now have to join the queue for a review of their parking charges The review in the outer controlled zone is expected to be carried out as soon as possible.
A spokesman for Liverpool City Council told Liverpool Confidential: “We are carrying out a citywide review of parking in the city, on a phase-by-phase basis. The changes which are coming into effect in the inner controlled zone of the city centre are part of the first phase. The outer controlled zone will be reviewed as part of a later phase.
“It was decided to proceed with the changes to the inner controlled zone first, so that the reduced costs and increased maximum parking times would come into effect in time for the run-up to Christmas, benefiting our city centre shops and businesses.
However, parking in the outer controlled zone remains a priority, and will be looked at in the near future.”
Rodney Street: The outer limits
The cut in the cost of parking at city centre pay-and-display bays comes into effect on Friday 30 November, with an even bigger reduction being introduced at Mount Pleasant car park.
The reductions, which follow a public consultation exercise in September, bring the cost of parking at city centre pay-and-display bays in-line with where it stood in 2008.
It’s designed to give a big boost to businesses, shoppers and visitors in the run-up to Christmas and beyond.
Mayor Joe Anderson said: “These changes will bring huge benefits to motorists, easing the burden on people’s pockets in tough economic times, as well as giving a boost to businesses by attracting more shoppers and visitors into the city centre.
“I’m delighted that these changes are being introduced in time for Christmas. This an important time of year for our retailers and it’s vital we do as much as we can to support them. By making parking more convenient and affordable, not just this Christmas, but throughout the year, we can make sure our city centre continues to thrive.”
So what will you pay?
The cost for parking for 30 minutes at pay-and-display bays which fall within the ‘Inner Controlled Parking Zone’ will drop from £1.10 to £1.
Parking for up to one hour will be cut from £2.20 to £2; up to one hour and 30 minutes will be reduced from £3.30 to £3; and up to two hours will fall from £4.40 to £4. There will be a capped cost of £5 for parking for between two and four hours.
Mount 'Pleasant' Car ParkCosts are falling even more sharply at Mount Pleasant car park. From 30 November, parking for up to one hour will cost £1, down from £1.30; up to two hours will be £2, down from £2.60; up to three hours will fall to £3 from £3.90; and over three hours will be reduced to £4 from £5.20.
The maximum motorists will pay at Mount Pleasant is £4, meaning that motorists can park all day in the city centre, at one of Mount Pleasant’s 1,850 spaces, for just £4, set against the current all-day cost of £7.
People parking in car parks in the London Road area will see a 10 per cent reduction with charges cut from £1.10p an hour to £1, with the maximum they will pay capped at £3.50 (for over three hours), a reduction from the current maximum of £5.
