Offering free parking in an effort to draw in extra customers for hard-pressed Perth and Kinross businesses would be too ”simplistic”, according to Councillor John Kellas.
The convener of the enterprise and infrastructure committee told members that to do this in isolation could discourage people from using public transport and park and ride facilities and could be detrimental to efforts to tackle air quality issues.
He also maintained that it would be of little use if free spaces were ”eaten up” by people who worked in the centre of towns.
Mr Kellas was speaking during a debate on Wednesday sparked by a motion lodged by councillors Willie Robertson and Ann Gaunt.
It asked that, given the pressure faced by retail businesses in Perth and Kinross, the Scottish Liberal Democrat group would like a report to be brought forward recommending ways of ”making the city of Perth and our burgh towns more visitor friendly”.
They asked that the report should consider locations which would benefit from free short-term parking, the removal of parking charges in the afternoon to support late afternoon/night shopping and better information on parking and what charges apply.
”All this will be done with the aim of helping to increase footfall for our retail businesses, safeguard Perth and Kinross as a retail destination and protect the many jobs which depend on the retail sector,” their motion concluded.
Mr Kellas took issue with the motion, saying it implied that nothing was being done to address these issues, which was far from the truth. He said free parking trials had been carried out in Crieff and these needed to be evaluated.
He put forward an amendment that called for council officers to bring forward papers that deal with specific issues in Perth and other towns, considering all the options and available data, reflecting local input and considering benefits to retailing, members of the public and visitors.
The amendment also asked for a continuation of work being planned for improvements and choices of payment systems at various car parks and specifically requested that there be no further provision of information on car parks on the grounds that this would be detrimental to the council’s policy to encourage the greater use of park and ride and public transport.
Councillor Alan Livingstone said he supported the amendment but asked if some additions could be made, which the convener agreed to.
These included an assessment of how best, and at what cost, more parking bays could be created in Perth and other towns, and modernisation to allow parking fees to be paid with cash or plastic.
Councillor Alan Jack said that, whatever their differences, councillors on the committee, were ”all singing from the same hymn sheet” and ”the end result once we get this sorted out will be for the benefit of Perth and Kinross”.
The amendment was carried by a vote of nine to three.