Free Liverpool city centre parking scrapped despite opposition

Free parking in Liverpool city centre after 6pm will come to an end after city councillors went against public opinion to back the move. Almost two and a half years after it was first announced, Liverpool Council has endorsed plans to extend parking charges in the heart of town until 11pm.

In November 2022, leaders said the changes will “standardise” parking across the city centre following a review in 2018. This will include the period of charging for bays on-street being increased from 8am to 6pm to 7am to 11pm.

Now, members of the local authority’s highways and public spaces representations committee have agreed to adopt the proposals despite almost 90% of respondents to public consultations saying they opposed the changes. In addition to the amendments to how long you can leave your car on the street, it will also cost more.

In March, charges rose after the city council’s cabinet confirmed in December it would hike up prices by as much as 60% in some places. It had initially been proposed that the fee to park would go up by 10p per half hour.

However, under a scheme adopted last year, 30 minutes parking in the city centre will go up from £1.20 to £2. An hour will now cost £4, up from £2.40.

According to Liverpool Council, since the creation of a controlled parking zone (CPZ) in the 1990s the city centre has “changed substantially” with the creation of new pedestrianised areas and off-street car parks.

A report considered by councillors said: “This has resulted in an increase in parking demand across the city centre and placed significant pressure on highway capacity and available road space, particularly outside of the existing CPZ operational hours of 8am to 6pm.

“As the single yellow line restrictions are also limited to those times, outside of them vehicles are able to park on the lines but given the additional parking demand they often also park on footways, thereby creating obstruction and safety issues for both flowing traffic and other vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians and cyclists.” As a result, the plans have now been approved despite considerable backlash.

An informal consultation resulted in 89% of respondents saying they were against the changes to charging times while in a formal engagement exercise in 2023, only 9% of those surveyed said they would support the idea.

Changes to the two-hour maximum stay around Hope Street were backed however. Liverpool Council said the move to four hours would “support the continuing growth of the night-time economy in the area, in consideration of the feedback from the initial informal consultation, particularly from businesses.”

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Mark De Vanzo, chief executive of the Liverpool Everyman theatre, is a director of Hope Street CIC. He said while the group supported the intent to reduce congestion and bring in revenue, the proposals would “dramatically reduce” parking provision around the area and would “negatively impact staff” particularly those working late at night.

This was echoed by Shaun Holland, of Liverpool BID, who lamented the lack of viable public transport options late at night, making parking essential for staff. He said safety was also a concern for some workers in the night time economy.

Neil Francis, representing the 22 masonry groups that use Liverpool Masonic Hall on Hope Street, said the plans would create “major issues” for members, adding how an extra cost of time will have a “detrimental effect” for a number of people, particularly elder members and suggested it could lead to a “notable reduction.”

The local authority said changes to the on-street parking would seek to “achieve a balance between the various parking demands of users, including those of residents who often are unable to find places to park near to their home while also allowing parking opportunities for visitors.” Officials hope it will help tackle the problems of pavement parking.

The proposed extended hours will require additional enforcement, with revenues expected to bring in almost £240,000 until parking behaviours improved. A phased recruitment exercise is underway to recruit additional Civil Enforcement Officers from 52 to 100.

The cost of this enforcement will be met from within existing budgets and also from the potential additional revenue generated not only in the city centre but across the city.