A TROWBRIDGE businessman wants to boost the number of people using a town car park, after learning it costs £1,000 a year to run and only a fraction of its spaces are being used.

Scholars owner Edward Kirk received figures from Wiltshire Council that showed that under two per cent of the 13 spaces in the Broad Street Crescent car park were used in March.

“Wiltshire Council’s current stance on parking makes no sense to me. This car park is making a loss. It needs to have some purpose and generate some income,” he said.

“Council tax payers are paying money and losing their money to keep the car park empty. The occupancy rate in March was 1.97 per cent, according to Wiltshire Council. It needs to be managed better. They don’t let residents in there or the public, because it is supposed to be let to season ticket holders.

“Wiltshire Council will not accept any proposal that competes with their existing car parks and rates.

“Furthermore, they do not accept that rates are too high and my view that the market forces should determine parking charges.”

Cllr Kirk said residents have complained about Trowbridge Health Centre staff parking on Seymour Road and Adcroft Street, and approached the management asking if they would be interested in using it. The health centre politely refused.

A Wiltshire Council spokesman said: “When assessing the economic position of our car parks we don’t look at them individually, we consider the entire parking stock. We offer season tickets for this car park which are heavily discounted against the daily charge. At this time we are not prepared to offer further discounts.”