New Parking Charges Spark Backlash on High Streets Across the UK

Parking has become the flashpoint issue for town centres this week, with disputes breaking out in Somerset, Shropshire, Cornwall and Cambridgeshire over who pays to park, how much, and how much space should be given over to it at all.  

For independent retailers, the stakes are simple: less convenient, more expensive parking tends to mean fewer feet through the door. 

Having four separate stories all playing out over the last week, shows just how prominent this issue is for the UK high street. 

What happened in Somerset? 

In Wiveliscombe and Milverton, a local survey of car park users has handed Somerset Council a blunt message. Organised by councillor Dave Mansell, the survey of 430 people found that 73 per cent use the currently free car parks in Croft Way, North Street and Fore Street for shopping and other visits, and more than half said they would stop using them altogether if daily charges were introduced. 

One shop owner who responded said trade was already tight and that charges "could squeeze us too much." Charging was originally due to start last October but was paused while Somerset Council carries out a wider review, with the results now feeding into two committee reports in September. The findings underline a concern shared by retailers across the country: when parking becomes less convenient or more expensive, customers can simply choose to take their spending elsewhere. For independent businesses already operating on tight margins, even a small drop in footfall can have a significant impact. 

Shrewsbury traders back a petition against rising fees 

In Shropshire, a petition calling for a review of Shrewsbury's parking charges has gathered pace this week. Councillor Tamarin Bibow, who launched the campaign, says she has heard from residents who now choose to visit Telford, a neighbouring town, instead because of the cost and congestion of parking in Shrewsbury. Charges in the town were increased in November 2025 following a three-year pause, a move the council says was needed to align with neighbouring authorities. 

 The petition is asking for cheaper parking at higher-cost sites and reduced-price periods designed to bring shoppers back into the town centre, the latest round in a longer-running argument over footfall in the town. The wider debate is also gaining momentum nationally, with Spring Fair and Autumn Fair backing a campaign for 90 minutes of free parking on England’s high streets. 

Sign the petition

Newquay businesses fight to keep Cliff Road parking 

In Cornwall, the row centres not on price but on the parking spaces themselves. Cornwall Council's Mid Cornwall Metro scheme proposes removing 19 short-term spaces on Cliff Road in Newquay to make way for a new cycle lane. A council-run survey found that 49% of respondents said they would use nearby shops less often if the parking disappeared, and traders argue an alternative route that preserved the spaces was overlooked. 

Business owners along Cliff Road say the spaces are central to year-round footfall, supporting quick shop visits and deliveries alike. Cornwall Council maintains that new spaces are being created nearby and the wider scheme will make the area safer for walkers and cyclists. 

St Ives residents question a 120-home plan for their car park 

In Cambridgeshire, the argument has moved beyond charges and spaces to the car park itself. Developer Capital & Centric has proposed up to 120 new homes on the site of the Cattle Market car park and bus station in St Ives, alongside a gym, green space and a "spill out" area of bars, cafes and restaurants. Huntingdonshire District Council has stressed this is an early engagement exercise, with feedback invited before 4 September. 

Reaction has leaned heavily towards concern. Resident Jackie Tarr, 67, called the scale "over-ambitious" and questioned where shoppers would park. Another resident said the plans had felt "cloak and dagger" and warned they could "kill off the high street." 

A common thread for independent retailers 

Four different councils, four different proposals, but the underlying tension is one independent retailers have raised again and again this year: convenient, affordable parking is still one of the biggest drivers of footfall on smaller high streets, and any change to it, whether price, space or the car park disappearing altogether, is felt immediately at the till. It is a similar dynamic to the one many retailers described around cost pressures following the Autumn Budget, covered in our piece on how independent shops are adapting to rising costs, where small, local changes in policy translated quickly into changes in customer behaviour. 

What ties these stories together is not just the financial impact, but a sense that decisions are being made without enough weight given to traders' view of day-to-day business. It is smaller, independent businesses, gift shops, fashion boutiques, homeware and garden retailers among them, who are most exposed, since they rarely have the marketing budget to offset a drop in passing trade. 

What retailers can do while these decisions play out 

None of the four schemes are finalised. Somerset's review reports to committees in September, Shrewsbury Council has said it will consider the petition alongside its wider parking strategy, Cornwall Council has indicated some flexibility on the detail of its scheme even while pressing ahead with the principle, and the St Ives proposals have not yet been submitted for planning permission.  

Parking policy rarely makes for exciting reading, but for independent retailers it remains one of the most direct levers between council decision-making and daily takings. Expect more of these disputes to surface as councils continue to review charges ahead of the fourth quarter. 

So, what can retailers do now? Spring Fair and Autumn Fair are calling for 90 minutes of free parking on England’s high streets – a simple change designed to make it easier for customers to visit, browse and shop locally. If you agree, sign the petition and add your voice to the campaign:

Sign the Petition

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