I have read about the parking proposals in the town centre and as a retailer they do concern me greatly. First of all I do object that there

I have read about the parking proposals in the town centre and as a retailer they do concern me greatly. First of all I do object that there should be charges for on-street parking at all. At our end of Meadow Street there are many empty shops and of those that are open some are struggling to survive. Charging for parking will just put people off coming into our shops at all. We cannot afford any disincentive for people to shop in the town centre, which is what charging for on street parking is. It will simply make people shop elsewhere in out-of-town stores where parking is not only free but convenient.I appreciate that there is a parking problem at the moment but it is of the authority's making because the existing regulations are not policed at all, with cars frequently left on hourly parking all day. In fact last year I saw a car parked on hourly parking in Baker Street for three months and it did not get a ticket. If the current yellow lines were enforced rigorously as they used to be then we wouldn't have the problem that exists now.The plans are poorly thought out in any case. We currently have double yellow lines opposite our shop and these enable lorries to navigate around the corner and to make deliveries to the shops around us. We also use these lines to load and unload our vehicles and our customers also find them invaluable for collecting purchases and dropping off products for repairs to us. In the new proposals the double yellow lines are being converted into parking spaces up to the corner making it difficult for lorries to get around and risking the safety of our building. With the nearest loading bay 200 yards away it will mean lorries will simply park in the road (for up to 15 minutes at a time) and block it to make deliveries, causing traffic chaos. It will make our life very difficult indeed and severely affect the day-to-day running of our business.I think the solution is to leave the current regime of yellow lines alone, but to enforce them, thereby making parking spaces easily available within the town centre for all.ALAN CASTELL - Peter Castell Ltd, Meadow Street, Weston