CITY businesses representatives have asked Cornwall Council to “seriously consider” reinstating free parking after 4pm in Truro following the loss of many facilities.

Cornwall Council has issued an updated statement concerning the future of Moorfield multi-storey car park, claiming: “The structure has reached the end of its design life, and it is unlikely that remedial works to extend its life indefinitely would be possible or financially viable.”

The elevated sections were closed to vehicles following a specialist structural appraisal in May. However, the structure is considered safe for the public to use the ground floor, with further monitoring inspections taking place fortnightly.

The statement continues: “Safety is paramount, and the council’s aim has been to keep the car park open for as long as possible while it has been safe to do so. Any decision that affects the capacity of the car park is not taken lightly, so this needs to be based on robust evidence.

“Officers are working to understand what could be possible in the shorter term in terms of shopper capacity in the lead-up to Christmas in particular.”

Truro’s parking problems were exacerbated after three car parks were demolished to make way for the stalled Pydar development. Truro councillor Rob Nolan suggested part of that site could be used as a pop-up Christmas car park.

Alun Jones, manager of Truro’s business improvement district (BID) responded to the council’s comment by broaching the idea of reinstating free evening parking. This was removed in Truro last year when controversial changes were made to Cornwall Council car park tariffs, including hefty price increases.

“Our peak trading is currently 11am to 3pm,” he said. “We would welcome the reinstatement of free parking after 4pm, as every other town in Cornwall managed to retain theirs. This would encourage increased customer late-afternoon visits as we previously enjoyed, and level out the trading playing field with other towns.”

Mr Jones continued: “We are aware of the current public perception regarding the reduced parking capacity in Truro. This concerns us as we need our customers to have confidence this Christmas that they will be able to access Truro to do their shopping in person, attend appointments and enjoy our night-time economy.

“The reality is that previously, Truro only ever exceeded its car parking capacity a few days per year around the peak Christmas events. However, we currently have fewer spaces available.”

He flagged up alternatives including using the two park and ride services and exploring new parking locations - “We are creatures of habit and probably visit the same car park” - as well as seeking other car park operators, some of which offer reduced Sunday or evening parking rates, and travelling in by train.