Weymouth holiday businesses hit out over 'unfair' parking charges

New parking regulations mean hotels, guest house owners will no longer be able to apply for yearly permits or be able to buy scratch parking cards for their guests.

They say the decision will put visitors off coming to the town when they realise they could have to pay an additional £70 a week, or more, to park.

But Portfolio holder Ray Bryan says the privilege is not enjoyed by other Dorset towns and Dorset Council will stick to its decision, although it will monitor the effect of the changes.

“Having completed a benchmarking exercise against other similar visitor destinations in the South of England, it was decided that all discounted parking for visitors and tourists to Dorset should be removed so that affordable permits could be introduced to support people who live and work in Dorset,” said Cllr Bryan at a Cabinet meeting yesterday.

Cllr Ray Bryan (left) sat with Weymouth councillor Tony Ferrari who also voted to end parking concessions

In questions to the council Dawn Rondeau on behalf of We are Weymouth (Weymouth BID), which represents more than 560 businesses in the town, 67 of them accommodation providers, said: “These permits and discounted scratch cards are vital not only for businesses, but for visitors to the town, who may already be discouraged by Weymouth’s lack of parking or park and ride infrastructure, providing them with an option for affordable parking within the town during their visit, which for a seven-day stay, could equate to £70 – a significant and deterring sum.

“It is our belief that removal of yearly permits and scratch cards will be detrimental to Weymouth’s  visitor economy, with potential visitors to the town opting to choose another coastal resort, where parking is more readily available at a reduced or no cost.”

Tourism revenue fears

Chairman of the local hotel & guesthouse association Claire Wall told the meeting: “You cannot imagine the scale of stress and anxiety this has caused.

“As a popular tourist town our members now feel undervalued with this unfair handicap on our businesses. We do not understand why there were no discussions undertaken on the impact this would cause if these scratch cards were removed.

Tourists flock to Weymouth Beach Picture Graham Hunt.

"We all feel without this offer we would see less footfall in our town and businesses who also rely on tourism like ourselves will also see decline. These also include restaurants, cafes, theatres, shops even to boat trips, buses, taxis and daytrip excursions.

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All these rely on tourism, tourism is the main revenue in Weymouth and has to be looked at favourably…”

“Tourism has been hit hard during the pandemic and needs support, understanding and consideration from Dorset Council to help build our businesses back up to pre-Covid levels.”

Said Cllr Bryan: “The impact of this decision will be monitored, and changes made if necessary. This year, the use of the Weymouth Park & Ride will be investigated to see if there is a more affordable parking option for visitors to Weymouth.”