Galbraith engaging with council over Market Street parking issues
SDLP Downpatrick Councillor Conor Galbraith has said he is working with council officials to address ongoing concerns surrounding parking charges at the Market Street car park in Downpatrick.
The issue has been raised repeatedly by local residents and traders, with frustration centring on 24-hour charging, the impact on town centre footfall, and penalty notices arriving close to, or after, the 14-day discount period.
While the site is owned by the council, it has been leased to a private operator, Car Parking Services (CPS), and changes are not expected immediately.
However, the operator has agreed to review the concerns that have been raised following engagement with council officers.
Councillor Conor Galbraith said: “I’ve been contacted by a steady stream of people about this, and the message is the same every time. The current setup at Market Street just isn’t fair.
“People don’t mind paying to park, but 24-hour charging and fines turning up when the discount window is nearly gone leaves a bad taste. It feels overly harsh, and it’s putting people off coming into town altogether.
“It does imapct too on the night-time economy.
“That’s a real concern when our local businesses are working hard to keep footfall up. The last thing we need is anything that makes Downpatrick feel less welcoming or harder to access.
“I’ve raised all of this directly and I’m pushing for some common-sense changes. I know it’s a private site and it won’t be fixed overnight, but people deserve better than what they’re dealing with at the minute.”
Parking from areas such as Ards to Banbridge is in some cases free or provided at a much lower cost. Hopefully this will be addressed before the summer visitors arrive in the area.
It also begs the question: why is the Council not managing its own car park when it is committed to the principle of sustainability ?
