A DECISION to ditch one-hour parking in Lake District honeypots will hit trade hard, businesses have warned.

The Lake District National Park Authority agreed this week to reduce parking charges but to scrap short stay parking in Hawkshead, Grasmere and Coniston, reports Lisa Frascarelli.

Although the authority's U-turn on current parking charges was welcomed, the introduction of a minimum two-hour stay is a move many say will drive shoppers away.

Instead of paying £1.30 for one hour, drivers will now have to pay £2 for two hours. It is all part of a shake up in April that will net the authority an extra £126,000, upping parking profit to £1,125,897 in 2006/7.

"This is not going to be popular with business or visitors," said Hawkshead pharmacist Simon Butterworth. "People who have to travel from Coniston, where there is no chemist, for a five minute visit to pick up a prescription are going to be clobbered with a £2 parking ticket. It's bad news for patients and bad news for us."

Mr Butterworth, of Collins and Butterworth Ltd, said he dealt with daily complaints about the town's parking charges. "When it costs 79p to fly to Dublin, tourists are not going to want to pay those prices to park."

Hawkshead parish councillor David Vaughan agreed. "People are already having to pay more than £1 just to pop in to buy a 30 pence newspaper. It's going to encourage long-term stay, which is generally walkers who don't spend. It's detrimental to businesses."

Two hours will now cost £2, down from £2.20; up to four hours is £3.50, down from £4.50; 24 hours £5.50 from £7. A weekly ticket will be frozen at £25.

A report to members of the LDNPA implementation committee, who voted for the new charges, revealed higher charges, introduced in 2003, had "proved unpopular with visitors and residents," especially at the Coniston TIC car park.

Figures showed that after the higher parking charges were brought in nearly half of visitors were just staying in the car park for one hour.

Coniston parish councillor John Stoddard said scrapping one-hour parking would not please businesses. "This is just going to drive people away," he said.

LDNPA Transport Adviser Ray Craig said money raised from car parks would fund vital environmental work. "While we understand and appreciate that changing parking prices is never a popular decision, I believe that the new rates will still represent good value for motorists and the wider community."