'People are angry': Liverpool could look again at 'trendy' parking plan that aims to cut city centre driving

In October, authority leaders backed a proposal to adopt a new parking strategy with the key aim of reducing the ability for people to drive into and park in town.

The major plan includes bold plans to reduce city centre parking, including the removal of existing city centre parking sites, a potential tax on employers with parking spaces and plans for a new multi-storey car park on the outskirts. With the adoption of the new strategy, there is no intention to increase the number of car parking spaces within the city in the future.

This attracted some heat from opposition members who will now get their opportunity to air concerns when it is officially called-in before the authority’s sustainable, safe and thriving neighbourhoods committee on Tuesday. Cllr Steve Radford, who has triggered the fresh debate, said the policy represented an attempt by the city council to be “trendy” and warned it may push people out of the city centre.

Cllr Liam Robinson, leader of Liverpool Council, said the existing 20,000 spaces in the city centre already “more than meets demand” and there were plans to turn some surface level car parks into more suitable options. Any reduction in parking will need to be matched with improvements to alternative modes of travel.

Among the changes to be taken up are a review of the existing residents’ parking permit scheme and potential changes. Streets which are currently eligible for the permit scheme will be assessed while existing business permits will also be reviewed.

There is also a vision for a new resident-controlled parking zone to form a ring around the city centre in a bid to encourage commuters to use car parks in peripheral locations and to encourage the use of alternative modes of travel.

Cllr Radford, who leads the Liberal Party group, said previously: “There’s been nothing on the impact on the city centre and on street parking. If you restrict parking in Liverpool, maybe people will go further afield to Cheshire Oaks or the Trafford Centre.

“There seems to be no understanding of consumer choice. One of the biggest things I’m getting is large numbers of disabled people who effectively won’t be able to park.

“There doesn’t seem to have been any consideration of the economic impact. People are angry.

“The council are wanting to be trendy but nobody has checked the impact it will have on people.” Council officers will work with the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority to develop Park and Ride sites to support public transport access into the city centre and report back to cabinet in October 2026, while a feasibility study will be carried out assessing the potential for a new multi-storey car park in the city.