This notice has just been sent me from Jempsons. Readers will see they have tried to meet the many questions and problems of their customers and altered the parking charges to help the customers to their store, making it free to those that shop for less than an hour and completely free before 9am and after 6pm. It will mean, in practice, that there will always be room for customers to park.
Official Notice from Jempsons
Good afternoon everybody,
Thank you all for your comments, rest assured we are aware of each and every one. There appears to be some considerable misunderstandings over this
– so here goes
…
Car Parking Jempson’s Rye
Can we just turn the clock back a little, 9 years ago we introduced a 2 hour free parking scheme for this car park. The reaction was somewhat similar to what we are encountering now. This has worked relatively well for many years. However over the last 2-3 years it is very evident that our efforts to try and deter long stays is simply not working. This is openly acknowledged in some of the posts. Our attempt at a 2 hour free parking with an element of self-regulation has simply failed.
Here are some back ground facts, which we hope will enable you all to see the various points of view: The car park in not large. It only has 80 spaces. It is the only free car park in Rye.
The car park is not used by any of our colleagues who work at Jempson’s. It is reserved exclusively for customers. There are 3 times the amount of car movements (in & out/2) per hour as there are transactions through the checkout.
Over 15% of our customers walk to the store. The company pays just under £100,000 per annum in business rates for this site. It therefore needs the car park kept free for customers.
Most business’s experience a significant uplift on the weekly Thursday market and during the summer period. This would be expected to be in the region of 50-75%. This store does not experience that because of the car parking issue.
Customers have been asking us to implement a more stringent system so they can shop.
Nobody is being asked to pay anything. The £1 charge will we hope deter those that abuse the system and allow genuine customers to shop. The £1 fee will refunded on a £5 purchase.
The current plan is as follows:
9am to 6pm – £1 charge up to 1 hour (This will be refundable if £5 is spent in-store. This can be on anything)
For 7 hours a day whilst the store is open there will be NO restrictions on the car parking. 6am to 9am then 6pm to 10pm. Free parking for those wishing to pop into the store.
Maximum stay is still 2 Hours. Camera control will still be in place, this will be administered by a third party company.
A flat fee will apply on Sunday. You can park there all day if you wish, this won’t be refundable though, as we’re closed!
There will then be a review after 3 months.
Something to think about….
We at Jempson’s passionately believe there is a bigger issue here that needs addressing. We believe Local Councils should provide short term and long-term car parks in all the communities in their jurisdiction.
These should be free for 2 hours so the local community can access the local shops and facilities quickly and easily at any time. Witness, the foresight of some councils namely Wealden where they do not charge – as the long term vision is to breathe life and trade back into their high streets. We have a store in Wadhurst and have seen at first-hand what great benefits this brings. This system works! This is what needs to happen in Rye, in Battle and other local communities! This is the way to ensure the local market towns remain vibrant, remain well used by the local population and become a hub for local entrepreneurialism!
Incidentally, Peasmarsh will always remain a free parking store! Should there be any queries please do not hesitate to contact us on [email protected], or alternatively call on 01797 230 214
Best wishes to you all,
Stephen, Dominic & Emma
“Rye’s Own” Bulletin Tuesday 20 October 2015