When I met with traders and business owners in Bitterne last year, the lack of free parking was discussed at some length. It’s also been clear from my conversations with many of you that you share concerns that the loss of free parking has made it harder for some of you to visit your local shops.
Since then, I have been speaking to your local Labour councillors about this issue and I am pleased that they have listened to you all, as they always said they would.
Councillors have now confirmed that they will bring free parking back to Bitterne in the next three months, either by leasing a car park to Sainsbury’s so they can provide it free of charge for the Bitterne traders and visitors, or by making free parking available for a fixed period of time – likely an hour and a half – in one of the council’s car parks in Bitterne.
Thanks to local councillors for their hard work on this issue. They have had to strike a difficult balance between needing to raise much needed funds to fund the public services we all use, and finding a sustainable solution that meets the needs of traders and visitors.
With new businesses such as Bonnies bistro coming to Bitterne in the near future, this is a good step forward and one that I hope will be welcomed by local traders and shoppers.