Forum Topic

And so to Hounslow...

... Samuel Pepys might have said to watch my daughter play in the Hounslow Concert band as part of the Outer London Fund (OLF) regeneration.  As usual, the Concert Band were excellent (why is it we could n;t have them in Brentford when we asked?) but there seemed little else going on.  The lights were nice (ours are better) and I know there is 'big juggling' going on tomorrow.Will I be hurrying back?  Not a chance: parking for one hour and 10 minutes cost £3.20; you can no longer get part hours; it's one hour or two hours, nothing in between.  Not only sneaky but shooting the efforts to get the High Street regenerated in the foot.

Jon Hardy ● 5248d9 Comments

JonPlease speak to Cllr Ed Mayne  the Lead Members.He proudly announced at Council a free half hour parking in certain areas  without mentioning of course the significant increase you mention. No doubt Matt Harmer will explain why etc in his cosy bulletin.

John Todd ● 5245d

Gives one a great feeling that the council has a really clear idea of what it is doing with Brentford Jon...not!

Keith Iddon ● 5245d

One of the ironies of high parking charges along Brentford High Street is that the Council is the landlord of many of the shops: in fact 35% of the Council's commercial ownership is in Brentford. So by deterring passing trade by high parking charges one part of the Council is shooting another part in the foot: the harder it is for the tenant traders to make a profit the harder it is for the Council to raise rents.

Jon Hardy ● 5245d

HollyYou have made a good point about expensive parking is disencouraging people to shop on high streets and encouraging us to go to shopping malls instead.When councillors next vote on parking charges, they should think about this and ask themselves how many empty shops will we have on our high streets if we increase parking charges further.Expensive parking charges on Chiswick High Road is one of the reasons why Kew Retail Park is so popular wth Brentford and Chiswick residents.They also encourage internet shopping.

David Giles ● 5246d

In my experience, it was the expensive parking in nearby Manhattan that encouraged us to do our Christmas shopping in the many local suburban shopping malls where parking was free. Of course in the opinion of New Yorkers, it's tourists and suburbanites who ruin a city, so maybe you're right.

Holly Hodges ● 5246d

Actually Barry I'm more of a cyclist -  or, more accurately, tricyclist - or I use public transport: but sometimes only a car will do. And, expensive parking ruins High streets desperately trying to compete with superstore with acres of free car parking.

Jon Hardy ● 5248d

Or perhaps "Hell is a city much like Hounslow"

Jon Hardy ● 5248d

" Not only sneaky but shooting the efforts to get the High Street regenerated in the foot."What efforts to get the High Street 'regenerated'?  Also, since this is a city, there are plentiful bus services, assuming they can get through the traffic full of car drivers complaining about the price of parking. Of course, cheap parking ruins cities, ask the Americans.

Thomas Barry ● 5248d

Didn't Pepys also say "Anyone who is sick of Hounslow Town Centre is not a bad judge"?

Keith Iddon ● 5248d