A NEW parking system has been introduced at Musselburgh's Fisherrow Centre in a bid to stop it being used as a "park and ride" by commuters.
A spokesperson for the South Street community facility explained that they had been "plagued" with people leaving their cars in the centre's car park and getting the bus to work in Edinburgh over the last two years.
The 150th anniversary of the Fisherrow Centre building, a former school, is being celebrated this year.
The centre, run by the Fisherrow Trust, offers a variety of spaces suitable for a wide range of leisure, sport and community activities.
The spokesperson stressed that the centre was a "busier place", with "more and more" groups using its facilities, and the car park was for centre users and visitors.
A management company has been enlisted to look after the car park, with users and visitors to the centre, including Blue Badge holders now having to register their vehicles for free parking. The public are being charged £1 per hour to use the facility via a QR code or text on signs in the car park on Sundays.
There is a 10-minute grace period for dropping off and picking up.
The spokesperson explained that the new parking management was active seven days a week. They said that from Monday to Saturday, it was purely for the use of centre users who registered their vehicle at the reception for free parking.
They added: “On Sunday, the parking can be used by the general public for a fee of £1 per hour.
"Centre users and centre visitors are still free as long as they register their vehicle.
"This also includes vendors of the car boot sale, with the Rotary having a copy of the free parking permit QR code."
The Rotary Club of Musselburgh, which holds regular car boot sales at the South Street venue, said via its Facebook page: “For our car boot sales, we have agreed that sellers won’t have additional parking costs on top of their pitch fees.”
They will have to register their car via the new system.
Although the majority of buyers walk, cycle or scoot to the car boot sales, under the new system, any parking will be charged £1 per hour on a Sunday.
The next car boot sale is next Sunday (September 13).
Sellers arrive from 8am and buyers from 9am. The event finishes at 12.30pm.
Pitches cost £10 for a car and £15 per van, with tables available for hire for an additional £5. There is no need to book.
Rotary proceeds go to supporting local causes.
Share