EXPENSIVE parking is driving people away from a once thriving town centre, dejected residents say.
Costly fees for motorists visiting the formerly bustling market town of Bishop Auckland in Durham are putting off visitors.
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Locals have been left livid as they fear shops are losing hordes of customers because they don’t want to fork out for a ticket.
Many have called for all parking charges to be scrapped in the hopes of injecting new life into the previously booming town.
Residents want council bosses to get rid of the costs before another store bites the dust, as their high street has already been dubbed a “ghost town.”
Several sites currently charge up to 60p for two hours of free parking.
Now Durham County Council wants to use a slice of its £11million of government funding to bring another surface-level car park to fit 120 motors to Bishop Auckland.
Proposals for the improved transport scheme also include plans to replace the existing bus station.
But residents believe the only way to attract people into the town centre is to banish parking costs altogether.
Linda Campbell and her husband George said they are gravely concerned for the future of local retailers due to the issue.
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She told The Northern Echo: “I don’t understand the need for more car parking, there’s too many in Bishop currently.”
George added: “We walked past 12 buildings on the high street and only three were open.
“The only way we’re going to get people back into town is to stop charging parking fees.
“Bishop Auckland was a vibrant market town and now it doesn’t have any shops.”
Shoppers are keen for Durham County Council to concentrate on redevelopment in Bishop Auckland.
Local Philip Brown said: “It’s a ghost town.
“I have seen shops close but not many open. Places like Consett have had loads of money but we’ve been forgotten.
“Eventually it could be a step in the right direction but only if they sort the shops out. It needs some regeneration but it’s got to be done the right way.”
Others are keen for the council to get the ball rolling on modernising the town’s bus station.
Janet Lamb, who has lived in Bishop Auckland for 30 years, believes it is “the best way forward.”
She said: “The current bus station is inadequate; it doesn’t serve its purpose and it’s in a state of disrepair.
“We knew that this would attract a lot of negative response, with people preferring the money be used elsewhere, but the town is starting to improve.”
Durham County Council said visitor numbers are expected to significantly increase through the schemes.
More car parking spaces are required to meet the needs of those visiting the town, the local authority added.
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