Parking charges set to come into effect this month

Oct 1 2009 by Marjorie Kerr, West Lothian Courier

Parking charges set to come into effect this month

PARKING charges are set to be introduced in Livingston town centre this month.

Land Securities has announced that charges will take effect in its car parks from October 12.

The company has installed car park controls, including barriers and ticket machines.

It says its decision to introduce charging was made as a result of increasing construction and land costs which no longer make it economical to provide free parking.

Charges will be introduced at a flat rate of 50p for any visit of up to two hours, and £1 for a longer visit of up to four hours. Parking will be free of charge before 8am and after 6pm.

The firm says it will also provide designated employee parking areas on the top decks of the two multi-storey car parks (The Centre Car Park 1 and Designer Outlet Car Park 1) and use of these areas will be controlled by swipe cards allocated to staff.

A contribution has been made to West Lothian Council in respect of costs arising from the introduction of charging.

Neil Carron of project director Land Securities said: “Parking in Livingston will cost much less than other comparable towns in the region.

“Free parking after 6pm will allow shoppers to take advantage of the shopping and catering offer in the evening, with many stores now open extended hours, not to mention the selection of restaurants on The Avenue which are open late into the evening.

“The introduction of dedicated employee parking areas provides a means of controlling staff parking and ensuring prime spaces remain free for customer use, whilst encouraging green travel initiatives such as car sharing.”