Supermarket retailer Booths and Craven District Council have introduced initiatives aimed at tackling Settle’s car parking problems.

Booths has introduced a two-hour time limit on users of its car park, which previously had no restrictions, while the council has created a permit scheme for businesses.

Councillor Donny Whaites (Con, Settle and Ribblebanks) said: “A lot of people have been taking advantage of Booths car park. They’ve now put a two-hour restriction on parking and I agree with it.

“It’s very unfair when the manager gets to work first thing in the morning and there are 30 cars in the car park and the shop isn’t even open.”

A Booths spokesman confirmed that a two-hour parking restriction had been introduced just over a fortnight ago.

He said: “It’s two hours free parking for all shoppers, whether they shop in store or not. We introduced the restrictions in response to the number of customers complaining that they had no place to park.”

The spokesman said that car owners overstaying the time limit would first receive a notice on their car before being issued with a fine.

However, one business owner who asked not to be named, feared the two-hour limit would force long-stay visitors into the town square and residential back streets.

Coun Whaites said something needed to be done to solve the town’s parking problems. He said: “The back streets are getting full and long-stay commuters are blocking car parking spaces for shoppers in the market place. It’s wrecking the viability of little shops.

“There are signs up in the market place, but no one is taking notice of them because they’re not policed.”

One scheme that he hopes will work is the introduction of long stay parking permits for Settle businesses.

A limited number will be made available for the council-owned Greenfoot and Ashfield car parks to encourage greater use of the town’s long-stay car park and increase the availability of short-stay parking in the centre of Settle.

Coun Whaites said: “The long-stay car park at Greenfoot is very under-utilised.

“Encouraging long-stay commuter parking there and at Ashfield will free up central short-stay parking spaces in the market square and improve the viability and sustainability of the town.”

Kathryn Hartley, of Wholesome Bee, is the first business to take advantage of the new parking permits.

She said: “I really hope business users that presently park all day in the town centre will take advantage of the new permits. "It is definitely a step in the right direction and will, in my opinion, really help the shops in the town centre to survive.”

For more information about the permit, email parking@cravendc.gov.uk.