OWNERS of an Ashton-on-Mersey car park where shoppers have been parking for free since 1967 have come under fire after it was closed to the public without warning.Trafford Council had previously paid a peppercorn rent to brewery Mitchell & Butler on the understanding shoppers could use the car park of the Buck Pub without penalty.messenger has learned that deal came to an end in 2004 and, despite attempts by the council to extend it, no deal was reached.Now, to the dismay of traders in the town, brewery bosses have closed the car park and say they are looking at their options, including the introduction of pay-and-display machines.
“The mood among traders is terrible,” said Janet Curran from the Village Barbers. “We’ve already seen a massive difference in just a few days – there’s nobody in the village!“When this last happened four years ago we noticed people quickly got into a habit of going into Sale, and it took about 18 months for things to get back to normal. Trade is bad enough at the moment as it is, and the business rates are so high.
“We feel like we’re getting no support from the council,” she said.Butcher Don Riley echoed those sentiments.“It will really affect the village,” he said.
“Anything from what it was will hit us hard.” Mitchells and Butlers brewery spokesman Andrew Roach said: “The situation was that the car park was getting full before the pub had even opened, and there was no room for our staff and patrons.“It’s a private car park, not a public one.
“If there are parking issues in the area, then people really need to get on to the council about it.”Ward councillor Brian Rigby, who has been contacted by a number of the village’s traders concerned at developments, said the brewery ‘reneged’ on a verbal agreement, but said the council was ‘doing what it could’ to change their minds.A council spokesman said: “Part of the car park used to be allocated for public use, but this agreement was terminated by Mitchells and Butlers in 2004.“Following this, the council attempted to re-negotiate an agreement, but the company has not approved this. Therefore, the car park currently remains a private operation.”