FOUR new parking orders will be introduced as part of revised plans for parking charges in North Berwick.

East Lothian Council withdrew plans for parking charges in North Berwick last month after initial consultations drew negative feedback from the public.

The proposals for the town were the first in to be put out to public consultation under a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) by East Lothian Council, with other towns due to follow in the future.

However, a report to councillors attributed the high number of objections to a “misinterpretation of the key themes” by the public.

READ MORENorth Berwick parking charges order set to be withdrawn

The order was withdrawn and East Lothian Council has confirmed that it will be replaced by four new orders focusing on individual components of the proposals.

It is expected that the timeframe for publication of the TROs will be between June and August.

The four phases will include on-street parking, off-street parking, motorhome parking, and museum and community centre parking.

A spokesperson for East Lothian Council said: “The purpose of the TROs remains to incentivise more sustainable transport, improve the vitality of High Street by increasing turnover for short-stay parking, encourage walking and cycling locally, contribute to Government carbon-reduction targets to cut car kilometres by 20 per cent by 2030, and reduce inappropriate and indiscriminate parking practice, which leads to road safety concerns, by increasing enforcement, which must be paid for.

“On February 27, East Lothian Council approved to withdraw the current traffic regulation order and to draft four new orders:

1. On-street parking

2. Off-street parking

3. Motorhome

4. Museum and community centre.

“The council is listening to the feedback and objections received, and will look to mitigate concerns under the new TROs. An exact timeframe for North Berwick re-publishing of TROs is June to August 2024.”

The spokesperson told the Courier that objections could still be made to charges as a whole or on individual phases of the order.

Kenny Miller, chair of North Berwick Community Council, still had reservations about the proposed charges.

He told the Courier: “I think it is important that the concerns and objections raised are properly addressed.

“I will be keen to see where they hope to find parking for all the residents who were expected to buy a parking permit for outside their homes, because that was not present in the previous order.

“I can’t make further comment until we see what the council put together. I just hope residents in North Berwick are listened to.”