PLANS to alter town centre car park charges will be the “death of shop - ping”, says a civic leader.

Malvern Hills District Council is to consider raising the prices in the short-stay car parks in Great Malvern, and lowering them in the long-stay parking.

The aim is to encourage drivers to park in the long-stay car parks rather than on the roadside, often against restrictions.

The measures are the first step being taken by MHDC in its On and Off Street Car Parking Strategy, adopted in November following a public consultation.

Under the proposals, parking for an hour in the short-stay car parks will rise from 60p to 90p, and for two hours from £1.20 to £1.70. Long-stay charges will be reduced from 60p to 50p for an hour and £1.20 to £1 for two hours.

The price of season tickets in long-stay car parks will also be reduced, to encourage shopkeepers and employees to use them, rather than take up roadside parking spaces.

But Roger Sutton, of Malvern Civic Society, condemned the proposals as a “retrograde step”. He said: “This is not what we recommended at all.

We said that parking should become cheaper and cheaper, if not free, in line with what Mary Portas [Queen of Shops] says. This is a retrograde step which could be the death of shopping in the town centre.”

And business owner and town councillor Adrian Ward said the council is “going round in circles”.

“The parking saga was the issue that brought GMAT [Great Malvern Association of Traders] into being in the mid-90s, and the council has been going round in circles ever since,” he said.

“If they want economic regeneration, they should make the first half-hour free.”

Robin Elt of GMAT said: “There are a million people a year visiting the hills, but they don’t stop in the town because of the parking. If we could get ten per cent of them to stop, Malvern would be a boom town.”

District councillor Bronwen Behan, whose remit includes car parking, said: “This council is determined to reduce problems of congestion and improve the availability of parking spaces.

“We believe introducing a differential between charges for short-stay and long-stay car parks will encourage drivers to make better use of available parking capacity.

“This approach is supported by our recent public consultation.

“We are making reductions in our long-stay charges to correspond with increasing our short-stay charges in Great Malvern because we recognise the importance of affordable parking to our residents, visitors and local businesses.

“Our car parking charges will continue to be some of the most competitive in the West Midlands whilst our concessionary permits continue to be some of the cheapest in the whole country.”

The council’s executive committee is set to consider the proposals on Tuesday, January 24.