UK councils urged to introduce 90-minute rule to save the high street
British councils are being urged to standardize free town centre parking to end the "postcode lottery" and revitalize the high street. Event organizer Spring and Autumn Fair, which runs biannual events at the NEC Birmingham, launched a parliamentary petition to standardize town centers so every region offers 90 minutes of free parking.
TL;DR
- A parliamentary petition urges UK councils to standardize free town center parking to 90 minutes.
- This aims to end the 'postcode lottery' of varying parking fees and revitalize high streets.
- A survey found 63% of shoppers would visit their high street more often with free parking.
- Nearly 40% of independent retailers cited free parking as the most vital change councils could implement.
- The high street faces challenges including high rents, business rates, lower footfall, and competition from out-of-town centers.