28 Mar 2025
Five weeks into the laborious parking regime in Harpenden and business owners are weary and downhearted by changes that they feel were unnecessary and highly damaging to the High Street.
It’s Monday morning, the beautiful spring sunshine and blue sky against the pretty greenery feels full of promise for the week ahead yet the streets are empty and the parking bays are too.
Business owners were happy to see me clutching my notebook, eager to talk freely about the negative impact the changes have had, with some asking if we think there might be any glimmer of hope in terms of a change or council backtrack on the horizon.
Manager of the Silver Palette Donna Browne said: “The main impact on our business is during the week.”
Donna added: “We used to get a lot of school mums popping in after drop-off or before picking their children up but not now. Normally, at this time of day (11.30am) on a Monday it would be packed with no tables free but you can see that it isn’t the case today.”
She said the downturn in trade has prompted the owner to come up with a radical plan to help customers out. They are refunding customers up to £2.50 when two or more people eat a meal in the restaurant.
Most of the local retailers we spoke to have mentioned the reduction of customers visiting them around the beginning and end of the school day.
This is particularly true for Penny Swanne, owner of Swanne Boutique: “You are the first person to come through the door today and I’ve been open two hours.
“Usually I would have had customers popping in after the school run.
“Half an hour is not enough time to look around Harpenden properly and enjoy the experience. My figures are definitely down in terms of takings, whereas Sunday trade is still good which reflects the fact that people don’t want to have to pay to park.”
She described the charges as “extortionate” and said that St Albans district council has “taken to joy from the town”.
Penny also explained that people who have a free half an hour and then want to extend it are not able to do so which is another frustrating aspect of the pcess. Because there are two different codes to text, it makes meeting a friend and then increasing the time impossible:
“Say you were getting your nails done in your free registered half an hour and then you bumped into a friend who asked if you wanted to get a quick coffee. You’d have to say no. It’s just annoying.”
She said there have been more parking enforcement staff out in the streets than ever before, whereas had this been the case previously then the charges would not have been necessary.
Another issue that keeps coming up in discussion with traders is the length of time provided for free. Reducing it to just half an hour means that the people who like to potter about and peruse at their leisure are just not doing that anymore.
This is reflecting in what I see on my visit. People seem stressed and are clock-watching, desperate to avoid being fined for overstaying their slot. This has particularly affected those selling luxury items such as flowers.
Owner of Perry Florist Sonia Duffy said: “Footfall has been very quiet in the last few weeks. A lot of younger people have been saying to us that their parents are confused by the new parking rules.
“Flowers are a luxury item and if people are clock-watching they are not as likely to pop in.”
Mariyana Sas at Healthy and Wise said it’s the same when it comes to her customers at the health food shop: “Our customers mostly complain that they can’t park for long. ”When people are asking for advice on products or about their health they need time to chat but they don’t have that luxury of being able to browse and think now.
“Not everybody understands that for the free half hour they still need to register their stay on the app, so many are being fined as a result.”
Co-owner of R&M Butchers on Station Road, Martin Williams, has been there for 10 years and said he has noticed a real change since the charges came in on February 17.
“I think they’ve made it ever so complicated now for people. They should at least have made the first hour free. !
He said that customers “don’t want to run in and out” and often the staff give help or advice on how to cook their meat. Martin also said their takings are about 20 per cent down, something we are hearing from almost everybody we have talked to.
“We are much quieter today than on a typical Monday. A lot of customers don’t want to mess about with apps and phones just to leave their car and buy a few sausages or a leg of lamb.”
Martin, in the same way other business owners have, said that the general pleasure of being able to relaxingly wander around Harpenden has been snatched away due to the parking situation.
Restaurateur Andrei Lussmann said it’s not a question of whether people should be charged to park, but that SADC is not being pragmatic or reflecting local commerce in their approach.
“It’s all too stressful for people who were used to parking for free – it was too much, too quickly and too soon. It’s not conducive to a supportive relationship with local businesses.
“The free half hour is great, but £5 for two hours is a bit sharp, and it’s not long enough either. The immediate impact on us is that people aren’t eating as much at lunchtime.
“I think it was bombastic and arrogant of the council to introduce the charges without listening to local views.”
Publican Niki Hackett of The Oddfellows Arms, said she has never known the town to be as quiet in the 37 years she has been working there.
“Today I’ve sold one sandwich and a portion of chips. Normally I would have taken £500 by this point. It’s absolutely diabolical.
“Our customers are a bit older and they’re scared of parking now so they’re going to other pubs where they can use the car parks. It’s killing the High Street and I can’t believe the council is making enough money to pay the traffic wardens.
“What’s happened now is that people are shopping in the evening after 6 o’clock and on Sundays, which is the busiest day of the week. Shop staff are having to change their hours as a result.
“If this carries on I won’t be here this time next year.”
Despite the comments from retailers, council bosses remain convinced that the measures have been a success.
Cllr Helen Campbell, SADC lead for parking, said the revenue received so far was in line with what was predicted for the council’s budget – projected at £208K per year.
“After years of Conservative cuts to local council funding, we’ve been able to balance the books and protect vital services where other councils have gone bankrupt.”
As traders are reporting that there is a huge sense of urgency around shopping now, with customers forgoing the opportunity to browse in order to dash back to their cars in the allotted time, we asked whether she would consider extending the free window at all?
“Our understanding at this point is that the parking bay space turnover is higher than before. Many traders report that they are experiencing an increase in shopping efficiency as people take the new opportunity to park in the centre to make a range of planned purchases when they would not have had the ability to do so before, as the bays were all taken and space turnover very low. Of course, there are four car parks servicing the centre and these are a great option for longer stays.”
What will SADC’s response be if a majority of traders report substantial falls in revenue since the charges were introduced?
“In a matter of days, the Labour Government’s jobs tax and business rates bill increases will bite – and it’s widely predicted that this will be a hammer blow to our high streets.
It’s critical that we keep footfall high to support local traders and the initial evidence of increased parking turnover may well help.
“We will, of course, review the way every aspect of the new system is operating once there has been a longer period to assess how elements could potentially be refined to make the best use of the available parking capacity in the town.”
She added by commenting on the forthcoming May elections: “These are an opportunity for local residents to send the county Conservatives a message about the shocking state of our special education and disability services, social care and our pavements and roads. We don’t take votes for granted and will be fighting hard for every vote.”
