SHOPPERS are to be charged to park at the shopping centres in Livingston, it has been confirmed today.
The owners of The Centre, which includes the former Almondvale Shopping Centre and the new Elements Square extension, will charge a flat rate of 50p for any visit for up to two hours, or £1 for up to four hours.
It is the first shopping centre in
the Lothians outside Edinburgh's city centre to introduce parking charges.
The charges could rise to a maximum of 50p an hour within the next two years.
West Lothian Council leader Peter Johnston, who has been fighting against the "wholly inappropriate" charges, said the move will not be popular with already hard-pressed shoppers.
However, he added that the charges are still cheaper than the city centres of Edinburgh and Glasgow.
David Smith, leasing director at The Centre's owner, Land Securities, said: "Car parking charges are not the major consideration when selecting a shopping destination – we believe shoppers are attracted by quality and range, as well as scale.
"Livingston is a vibrant town boasting 275 stores. Its retail and catering offer is superb, with anchor tenants M&S and Debenhams at The Centre and a high-quality tenant mix at Livingston Designer Outlet.
"The car parking tariffs we have set at Livingston are extremely competitive. Therefore, we believe that the town will continue to attract shoppers from throughout central Scotland."
In Edinburgh, the price of parking ranges from 70p an hour to £2 an hour.
The other main out-of-town retail locations – The Gyle, Fort Kinnaird and Ocean Terminal – are currently free to park and there are no plans to introduce charges.
Livingston's parking charges, which will apply at The Centre's three car parks, as well as the two car parks at Livingston Designer Outlet and at the retail park, are to come into force around July.
Land Securities said it made the "difficult" decision to charge for parking as a result of "the increasing construction and land costs, which no longer make it economical to provide free parking".
The charges apply between 8am and 6pm.
Cllr Johnston said: "The decision to introduce car parking charges is not going to be popular with visitors and we would have preferred charges were not introduced, especially given the current economic climate."
EXTRA SPACES PROVIDE BOOST FOR SHOPPERSSHOPPERS in Tollcross have been given more than 50 new parking spaces to use.
Council chiefs have finished work converting bays around Tollcross into four-hour maximum stay in streets such as Lochrin Buildings and Gilmore Place.
The move followed requests from local businesses for more parking.
John Saunderson, who runs Saunderson Butchers and is spokesman for the Tollcross Traders Association, said: "I hope these spaces will not be abused by local traders as the main purpose is to encourage more customers into the area."
