The opening of a new gastro pub or coffee shop in a place seen as ‘up and coming’ can bring about some change. The things that cause drastic change, though, are a big whopping 200% increase in parking charges.
Brent council are proposing to triple parking fees because too many cars are being drawn in from other areas.
Parking fees will increase from £1.50 to £4.50 and will bring the fees in line with other nearby boroughs such as Camden.
For a while traders have already mentioned that it’s very expensive for their customers to park here, so these increases could put off their customers from coming to Harlesden for good.
Customers who park in front of their favourite shops to quickly pick up small items without paying in the meter are now an endangered species.
Harlesden as a shopping destination has always attracted shoppers from across London, interested in Caribbean food, hair products and various household goods.
The high street, though, has been a victim of its own success. Councillor Margaret McLennan, Lead Member for Housing and Development at Brent Council has said, “I’ve lived in the area for a number of years, over 25 years and right next to Harlesden and I actually used to hate coming through Harlesden because it didn’t have any parking regulations, people used to park anywhere, you couldn’t go to the shop anyway because it was so awful to park.”
Harlesden’s established customer base are at risk of being wiped out due to the increased parking fees, the rate at which the high street is changing could be accelerated as a result. Businesses that rely on customers who live further afield will need to transition towards those who live closer and offer different services, such as more restaurant offerings.
Requests for a coffee chain have recently been addressed in the form of a Costa, which opened in Harlesden last week. We are yet to see any sign of a Marks and Spencer’s, it’s worth keeping an eye out for one of the German discounters.
So it’s pay the hike or get on the bus, Brent’s Cabinet set to crack down further on commuter parking.
Bonus
+ Stop the tripling of Brent parking charges
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Terrible and inconsiderate double parking has caused chaos for years, causing tailbacks down Scrubs Lane, so if they do finally grip the problem and stop people parking where they want to buy whatever they can buy where they live I’m happy.
As a driver and a pedestrian living in the area I fed up with double parking so well done!
C’mon people, it is also time to find what the legs are for – good old walk will only do you good. Move on!
In my experience, it’s the shop owners themselves who cause the trouble. They’re the ones who park illegally at peak hours to unload stuff from the vans. They’re the ones who regularly reduce Park Parade to one lane, holding up buses and adding to the inconvenience of several hundred commuters.
I struggle to think what Harlesden offers a shopper that can’t be found elsewhere. Seriously, which shops are we meant to be scared of losing? And if people *really* want to drive in, there’s an underused car park in the middle of the city centre. Roads are for travelling, not parking. Anything the Council does to shift the balance towards the former can only be positive.