‘We will close down if this isn’t sorted’ – Lostock Hall business owners fear for future over parking problems

A ticket machine system for parking at Lostock Hall carpark installed and given an update by South Ribble Council is causing business owners and customers alike a headache over not being able to use it correctly five months on. Many are claiming that customers are venturing elsewhere due to the technical issue which many old people cannot use anyway.

Florence Williams, 80, who owns Amanda Jane Boutique which she runs with her daughter Mandy Hodson, 57, claims they are in danger of losing their 51 year old business if something isn’t done soon. The shop, which opens five days a week, is losing 75 per cent of its customers.

Mandy told the Post: “This has been going on for a few months now. We always had an ordinary machine for £1 or £2 to use all day outside the back of the shop with blue squares which were originally free to use for up to one hour. South Ribble Council then took the old machine away and put a new machine up on the carpark and put up new notices but didn’t remove the blue squares. We appealed and rang and got the council down three times to rectify this because our customers were coming in thinking they were okay because they were parked on a blue square. They only just put the white lines in last week in place of the blue.

“This isn’t the only issue as customers come and try to put their car registration into the parking machine with £1 coins for three hours which most of the time gets stuck or returned. There is also a non return to carpark so you can only visit once. Just the other day there was a queue the length of the carpark waiting to use the machine as it doesn’t work correctly and the whole procedure takes a while anyway, so imagine if you are elderly trying to use this. Wednesday is usually one of our busiest days but today there is no one in. Many businesses are facing the same problem and are in danger of closing including the Post Office in Spar who said they will close down as customers are now going to Bamber Bridge Post Office. We are a family village of hairdressers, nail salons, chemists and takeaways and we are all losing customers because of this. We will close down if this isn’t sorted.”

‘It is causing mayhem’

Fiona Devaney who has owned Hotlocks Hair Studio for the past 34 years said that it has also been a nightmare for her business. She said: “Since they changed the machines it has just been a nightmare. It is causing a lot of issues and affecting trade as everyone is coming late to appointments because they can’t work the machine. It used to be free parking for an hour whereas now you have to display your ticket. It costs £1 for three hours but it is not letting people pay this.

"If customers come in for a colour they are having to stop midway through to go out and move their cars. It’s just causing mayhem. We are not as busy because of this. If this continues I will have to re-evlauate the business as this could finish us off. It needs putting back to the way it was before.”

Councillor Aniela Bylinski Gelder, Cabinet Member for Property, Assets, Commercial Services and Major Developments said: “All car parking changes were subject to a full consultation before they were implemented, and the payment machine at Hope Terrace is the same version we have on all other short stay car parks right across the borough.

“Any new policy will of course have teething issues, however we are always prepared to listen to feedback and businesses in Lostock Hall have contacted us about the new changes and we have been in dialogue with them about the new tariffs and how the machines work.

“We’ve aimed to make our car parks as affordable as possible and the information on the machines as clear as we can. Based on the feedback we are getting, we are in the process of looking at the signage we have to see where improvements can be made for more ease of use for the customer.”