Town centre planters or parking?

Businesses in Welshpool town centre will be asked whether planters that were placed in parking spaces to boost trade post-Covid should remain.

A lively debate at the latest full council meeting saw councillors divided over whether they should remain to encourage a ‘café culture’ or removed to allow for more prime parking space.

Town Mayor, Cllr Nick Howells, said that a letter had been received by Cllr Billy Spencer, who was on his way back from a funeral and unable to debate the issue, that “retailers on the high street are not happy about the large planters which are taking up so many parking spaces” with tables and chairs placed between them for outdoor customers.

Cllr Phil Pritchard called for a Town Council investigation because it was a Covid issue to encourage people to be outside and not inside at the time it was agreed.

“They were only supposed to be until Covid finished, and Covid finished two years ago,” said Cllr Pritchard, who pointed out that businesses were now paying a license fee for the privilege of having them to Powys County Council. “We need to be asking the county council what’s happening and how long are they going to be there?”

But Cllr Richard Church said that the outdoor seating areas are very popular and “add to the atmosphere of the street and I welcome them”.

Cllr Phil Owen agreed, but said there needed to be a balance to ensure there was enough parking space in the town centre, to which Cllr Howells replied: “The simple answer would be to lower the parking prices in the car parks.”

Cllr David France asked: “How many people would a few extra car parking spaces bring in compared to the extra seating attracting people to the high street, which I think has suffered from just being a road with rows of cars? We need to make the high street a nice place to be.”

Cllr Pritchard then went one step further and said perhaps it was time that the town looked at pedestrianizing the street, which had worked well in other market towns.

Cllr Alison Davies wanted to have more information about the depth of feeling from the town centre businesses, who should ultimately influence any decision.

It was agreed that a survey will be carried out amongst all town centre businesses this summer with the feedback to be included into the bigger ongoing project of rejuvenating the town centre.