"Free Christmas parking at Wareham and Corfe Castle"
(Bournemouth Echo 23 November)
Meanwhile the spirit of Scrooge lives on in Swanage town hall. Last year the least used car parks were free for a few days.
Why not go the whole hog and have a Swanage Humbug festival, ban decorations, trees etc and have a big week long party for all the people who can't stand christmas. Strike a blow against the commercial infantalisation of our lives. Christians would rejoice as this would be the one place where it was a religious festival rather than the feast of shopping, as its know in the god trade. Humanists, sceptics etc would fill our guest accommodation to get away from the xmas horrors everywhere else and of course kids would get even more presents as the money was not going on useless rubbish quite as much as usual. Result everybody wins except the chinese manufacturers of baubles, flashing lights and plastic fir trees.
Posted by Anonymous to swanageview at 10:07 AM
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
8 comments:
"Meanwhile the spirit of Scrooge lives on in Swanage..."
except not quite true...
Broad Road car park is free every Saturday in December
Xmas Market in Commercial Road and Station Road on 5th December (also Art Hut on the Quay)
and I imagine the lights will be up soon if not already (I haven't looked today)
Christmas tree at rail station light up 5th December, so I have been told.
Last year's effort was dismal, compared to previous years. Come on, Swanage - open the car parks, put up the decorations, get people involved. You can do it for the Carnival, Folk Festival, etc. etc. January will be long and cold, and no one will shop then very much, so get the Christmas spirit going now!
And the churches - open your doors and present the true meaning of Christmas as part of the event.
It happens the first weekend after Advent Sunday in my little village in Maine (pop. 5000) - over 100,000 people attend. Can't see why Swanage can't do the same sort of thing - it is almost identical to the village in Maine.
Google 'Kennebunkport Christmas Prelude' to see what I mean.
Broad Road is not exactly close to the shops is it unless you are shopping for fishing tackle, paintings or walking boots. Why not the station yard, Recreation ground and Victoria Avenue cars parks. This is exactly the scrooge like attitude we have here. What about the rest of the week?
Why don't traders just refund your parking fee like the coop? Why should the rest of us in effect subsidise shoppers at Christmas?
To promote and foster a thriving local retail economy. Parking charges in Swanage are a de facto tourist tax but at Christmas we need to compete with destinations which do not charge at this time. By the way, you will have noticed that Bournemouth has reduced parking charges in general to encourage people to use its town centre rather than peripheral malls with free parking.
It is noticeable that even secondary and tertiary locations in Swanage give the impression of thriving. compare this with other town centres in Dorset. On the principle that nothing succeeds like success this is in itself an asset but it is one we need to take advantage of and be less modest about the Swanage shopping experience. We have a large number of shops selling inessentials i.e. gifts all the year but precisely when this market is at its peak we do absolutely nothing as a town to benefit from it. Getting more people to come here to buy their Christmas gifts is one of the few means we have to combat the seasonality of our economy. Lamentably our official tourist spend is directed at the summer and short break markets and ignores this possibility. There are about half a million people within an hours drive who could come here buy a few bits and pieces, have lunch or tea and generally keep us going. What do we offer them. Free Saturday parking in a car park tucked away at the far end of town. We do not even both to signpost it.
Whenever we visit elsewhere..especially Wales, we find that the carparks are either free or at a very low cost. Prescriptions are free too, and so are University fees..how do they manage to offer all these things that make a real difference to people on lower incomes.
Lower car park costs somehow seem to say, we like having people come to our place to visit, please come again. Its easy with a little bit of careful psychology. Not rip everyone off, so that they never come back !!
I understand there will be free parking until Christmas behind the electronic gates leading to the Town Hall car park.
Free valet service, too!!
Just returned from Christmas shopping in Christchurch. Free parking from 18.12 through 24.12 in all council car parks.
Better shops and restaurants than Swanage, and a fine Priory too.
But our Town Council knows better what brings trade to Swanage, apparently! Charge for parking!!
Post a Comment