Fulham Road parking

Tuesday July 28, 2009

Draw a line: Andrew Riddle of Palmer menswear backs changes.

Traders in Fulham Road have backed a plan by council bosses to look at changing parking regulations in a bid to boost business.

Struggling shopowners claim that current parking rules are intensifying the impact of the recession. Palmer Menswear owner Andrew Riddle told h&f news: "They are all going to Westfield because they can park there free for the day, whereas the cost of parking here is prohibitive to a lot of customers. I get about half a dozen complaints about parking from customers every week, and the worst is when people are towed away - they find that really distressing."

Mr Riddle is calling for free Sunday parking to be extended to Saturdays or other times during the week to entice more shoppers to the road. "But it needs to happen quickly, because some shops are talking about having months, rather than years, left," he added.

And Jill Lee, owner of Artbeat, said the current parking situation made it `almost impossible' for customers to collect larger goods from her shop in their cars. "People need to stop outside if they are collecting items, and I think there are too many double yellow lines," she said.

Meanwhile, Faye Bridgwater, manager of the Pottery Cafe, agreed that the parking camera was deterring shoppers and said more short-stay bays were needed. "If customers get a ticket while they're in here, then they get annoyed with us and they might not come back."

H&F cabinet member Nick Botterill, who chaired a meeting with traders to discuss the parking restrictions, said: "We have an excellent relationship with the small businesses in Fulham Road and will be looking at ways to ease the parking problems.

"We recently helped traders to set up the hugely popular `I Love Fulham' loyalty cards and we will continue to work with local businesses during these tough economic times."

The `I Love Fulham' card gives shoppers access to a range of discounts at about 40 stores in and around Fulham Road, encouraging them to spend their money at independent local businesses. The card is available with any purchase, large or small, at participating stores along Fulham Road. For details visit: www.visitfulham.co.uk (opens new window).