Parking Struggles Leave Businesses Wanting Change in Shrewsbury

Finding a parking spot in Shrewsbury, England, is not easy. The town is a popular place for tourists, and it is almost completely surrounded by England's longest river. Local businesses say that recent increases in parking fees are causing visitors to stay for shorter periods of time — and spend less money while they are there. Now, the local government is reviewing its parking policies, but business leaders are warning against making things worse.

Shrewsbury Business Improvement District, known as the BID, represents more than 500 local businesses. Its leader, Seb Slater, wrote to Shropshire Council in June to share concerns about how higher parking prices were hurting the town. He said that when fees went up, people simply chose to park for less time. That meant they also spent less money in local shops and restaurants.

The BID collected data from one of Shrewsbury's largest car parks, called Frankwell. After a 50% fee increase in November, the car park saw a 21% drop in the number of hours people paid for, and 11% fewer parking tickets were purchased by May. Other car parks across town also raised their prices last year, after a three-year freeze when fees stayed the same. Slater says the numbers clearly show that higher prices are pushing visitors away.

Slater used a simple example to explain the problem. He said that if someone is used to paying 80 pence an hour and the price suddenly jumps to £1.20, they might choose to stay three hours instead of four. That one less hour could mean one less meal at a café or one fewer stop at a local shop. He called this a 'shock impact' and warned the council not to raise prices again.

The BID also asked the council to make parking better, not just cheaper. Suggestions included pay-on-exit technology, where drivers pay after they park rather than guessing how long they will stay. The group also suggested 'car park decking,' which means adding extra levels on top of existing car parks to create more spaces. These ideas could help more visitors find parking easily and encourage them to stay longer.

Shropshire Council said its parking prices are competitive compared to other towns and cities in England. However, the council also explained that government funding for transport has not kept up with rising costs, so it needs money from parking fees to help pay its bills. The council said a report on its parking review will be presented to leaders later this year. It added that it would consider all feedback as part of that process.

Another issue raised by the BID is that hundreds of council workers park for free at Frankwell car park. Slater said as many as 320 spaces a day — about half of all the spaces available — are taken up by council employees. He estimated this costs the council around £40,000 a month in lost income. The council moved its main offices to a building called the Guildhall at the end of 2024 to save on energy costs, and it said parking arrangements for staff were part of that wider plan.

Despite all these concerns, Shrewsbury is actually seeing more visitors than before. Footfall — the number of people walking through the town centre — was up 0.4% in the first half of the year. But spending in the town centre dropped by 5.1%. This means more people are coming, but they are not staying as long or spending as much money, which is the heart of the problem for local businesses.