As businesses gear up for another season of parking restrictions around Everton’s waterfront Hill Dickinson Stadium, a gym owner says he has been forced to relocate to deal with rising costs and the impact on his venue.
Gym owner moves out
Henry Cookey, 40, runs HC:Fit Ninja Training and had been operating out of a unit on Birchall Street close to the stadium. He told the ECHO how he had taken the decision to relocate to an area further away after issues began to mount up.
Henry said: “Things carried on the same so I accepted that I wasn’t going to do any business on a Saturday. I’ve actually had to move out now. The biggest issue was around the roads. Things mounted up in April when the landlord put the rent up. I just thought that I don’t want to be dealing with it and thought it wasn't worth it. It’s been a massive issue. I’d been there nine years and the idea was that I would stay there for good. That’s obviously had to change now.”
Parking scheme details
Liverpool Council faced a huge backlash last year when it announced a set of sweeping changes to the area around Bramley-Moore Dock. Under the scheme, more than 4,000 residents and 3,000 businesses have been asked to apply for parking permits to comply with an Experimental Traffic Order (ETRO) running for an initial 18-month period.
After speaking to representatives of those living and working around the Hill Dickinson Stadium footprint, the city council confirmed it had relaxed some of the parking rules in time for the ground’s final test event last August, although the compromise still didn’t please everybody. After a full season of the Blues making the waterfront their home, operators are now gearing up for a further 10 months of matchday traffic.
Business owner considers leaving
Bryan Deakin has operated Aughton Engineering Supplies for almost 50 years and said the restrictions had meant he had to cut his cloth accordingly. He said: “It’s still a nightmare. My landlord has put the rent up by four times what we’re paying as well because of it. I’m potentially looking at going elsewhere. Suppliers and customers are going bust, costs are shooting up and I’m losing out. I don’t need the stress and hassle, it’s all come at once.”
The 62-year-old added how he didn’t harbour any ill feeling towards Everton for their decision to relocate near to his business. He said: “People need to park somewhere but I’ve got to protect my business and ensure we survive. With the road closures we’ve had loads of failed deliveries. I’ve got my accountant doing my figures at the moment and they’ve dropped by half since last year. I don’t want to call it a day but I’m having to consider it. We’ve had to cut staff hours down to make ends meet.”
Rules and next steps
As part of the changes made by Liverpool Council last year, non-event day parking restrictions were relaxed compared to days Everton play at home, and waiting limits were extended to up to four hours when Everton are not playing. Around Esk Street, Juniper Street and Blackstone Street, event day restrictions will remain in place, requiring drivers to leave within two hours. Around Walter Street, Ten Streets and Love Lane, permit parking will be required as these have been designated as business locations.
Up to four hours’ parking is permitted on non-event days. Some business owners warned that the original measures could lead to closures, prompting dozens to protest at Blackstock Market and urge the council to reconsider. Following consultation during the pausing of the scheme since then, the city council said additional parking bays will be introduced to support businesses and community venues. Blue badge parking bays have been installed on Regent Road.
An event day will typically be any sporting or non-sporting event at the new stadium with 10,000 or more attendees. The council’s traffic manager can also apply event day rules for events at the stadium with fewer than 10,000 attendees or that are taking place at other locations like Goodison Park, Anfield or the city centre, where there is a need to manage parking. The dates of upcoming events are displayed on signs next to the parking bays and at the entry points to Permit Parking Areas. Officials are still to consider whether they will be making the traffic order permanent.
