New parking permits for holiday lets agreed

Owners of holiday lets within residents’ parking zones in Ludlow will now be able to buy annual permits for £100 after Shropshire Council agreed to “right a wrong” caused by its new parking strategy.

Around 15 holiday let businesses which rely on their customers parking in residents’ zones will benefit from the new permit scheme, which was agreed by the council’s cabinet at a meeting on Monday.

The new Shropshire-wide parking strategy came into effect in Ludlow in November 2018. A scrutiny committee assessed the impact of the changes in June 2019 and recommended that concessions be brought in for holiday lets within residents’ parking schemes.

Councillor Steve Davenport, portfolio holder for highways, said: “This is to put right a wrong that happened during the 2018/19 consultation for car parking in Shropshire.

“We agreed since then that a holiday let in Ludlow would have one permit for £100 a year as opposed to £400 a year.”

A report considered by members said: “Given holiday let properties would be residential properties, with entitlement to a residential permit all year round, the proposal to allow holiday let properties to obtain one permit is not considered detrimental to the viability of the parking strategy as it is currently operating.”

There were 14 representations made in support of the plans, but Ludlow Town Council objected, saying the new permit scheme favoured a “small section” of the town’s businesses.

Councillor Andy Boddington, who represents Ludlow North, spoke at the meeting in support of the permit changes which he said would help the town’s visitor economy to recover from the Covid-19 crisis.

He said: “Ludlow Town Council want it to be applied to all accommodation in the town centre – the hotels and B&Bs.

“We can’t do that, the town centre is not big enough in terms of street car parking spaces to give permits to high turnover properties.

“This is simply for holiday lets, which are typically let for one week at a time. They are slow turnover and it is generally older people who need to park where they are stopping.”

Cabinet also agreed that holiday let owners should “be asked to provide feedback on numbers of customers with physical or learning disabilities and/or caring responsibilities, for whom the location of the parking facilities is a significant consideration in terms of physical access”.

The report added: “This will contribute to better understanding of any positive impacts in equality and social inclusion terms, which may then be replicable elsewhere.”