Council to consider new off-street car parking arrangements

10th July 2018

PLEASE NOTE: This article is over 1 year old and may not contain the most up-to-date information.

An initial programme of actions to address the overall requirement for off-street car parking within the Fermanagh and Omagh District has been presented to Fermanagh and Omagh District Council’s Environmental Services Committee.

The programme of actions are designed to:

  • address the issues of long stay car parking in key locations in Enniskillen and Omagh town centres
  • to address the imbalance between car parking charging arrangements
  • and to support local economic vitality and sustainable travel.

 

Recommended actions include:

  • Removal of the £1 for 5 hours tariff on all relevant off-street car parks to be replaced by a new tariff to improve turnover of spaces.
  • Retention of free car parking at existing tariff free off-street car parks (however some restrictions may apply at Wellington Place, Enniskillen). Almost 50% of off-street car parking in Enniskillen and Omagh is free of charge.
  • placing a maximum stay restriction of 3 hours on a number of car parking spaces (19 of the 268) at Wellington Place car park, Enniskillen, to facilitate visitors to Enniskillen  Castle and the Visitor Information Centre.
  • monitoring the impact of car parking at the Fermanagh Lakeland Forum and surrounding area and the Council will consider introducing control measures if it is deemed there are insufficient car parking spaces available to users of the facility.
  • Include Introduction of a premium tariff in 6 car parks – Eden Street, Cross Street, Market Street and Down Street in Enniskillen and Johnston Park and Market Street in Omagh  (minimum charge  0.50 p, maximum charge £4.50 per day) to reduce long term parking and improve the turnover of car parking spaces
  • Installation of a fence or similar structure to clearly distinguish between Foundry Lane and New Brighton Terrace car parks in Omagh where different tariffs apply
  • Removal of season tickets in the premium car parks and limiting the number of season tickets to 60 in Enniskillen and 60 in Omagh. Quarterly season tickets to be issued at a discounted rate of 40% (monthly season tickets will no longer be available).

It is anticipated that such actions will support the local economy and balance the needs of shoppers, visitors and businesses by ensuring good off-street car parking space availability and turnover of spaces. It is anticipated that these changes will also drive a change in car parking culture and may result in commuters sharing travel arrangements which in itself would reduce the requirement for car parking in our main towns.

If agreed these changes will be implemented from 1 September 2018 or as soon as possible thereafter when all necessary signage and promotional materials are in place.

Council officers are continuing to work through options regarding coach parking drop off points in Enniskillen and Omagh  with the relevant agencies..

The recommendations agreed at the Environmental Services committee are subject to ratification at the meeting of the full Council on 26 July. A 5-year off-street Car Parking strategy was developed by professional advisers, AECOM, on behalf of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council to address the overall requirement for off-street car parking within the district. The strategy was developed following an extensive review of existing car parking practices and demand throughout the district and following consultation with members of the public and key stakeholders.

The 5 year strategy includes an extensive range of recommendations and at this stage the Council is proposing to implement only a limited number as outlined above. If these initiatives prove successful in terms of achieving the objectives of the Car Parking strategy then it will not be necessary to implement any further recommendations as outlined in the strategy.