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Home›News›Calls to Boycott Lidl Over Parking Charges

Calls to Boycott Lidl Over Parking Charges

Discount supermarket closes carpark to non-customers

By Thomas Scott
June 27, 2017
6945
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Residents of Penicuik and district have taken to social media to vent their fury after Lidl introduced number recognition parking that allows only customers to use the facility.

The discount supermarket chain, which opened in Penicuik in 2009, started to phase in number plate recognition cameras last August, preventing people from staying beyond ninety minutes without receiving a fine in the form of a parking charge notice.

However up until last week, everyone had been welcome to park, including those who use the neighbouring Penicuik Medical Centre. Now, new restrictions have been put in place preventing anyone who does not receive a receipt in Lidl from parking in the 75 space carpark. It means there is now only one public car park to provide spaces for the remainder of the town centre, including the Penicuik Medical Centre.

Cars using the Lidl carpark will have their number plate scanned upon entry. After completing their shopping in store, drivers must then scan their receipt and enter their number plate on a computer adjacent to the checkouts. This will then prevent them from receiving a £90 penalty notice. Failure to scan your receipt or to shop with the chain will generate an automatic fee.

On social media site Facebook, residents and shoppers were outraged by the move with many calling for a boycott:

 

Gina Clark, chair of the Penicuik Community Council, added:

We understand that this will have a knock on effect on a lot of residents who are using the GP Practice as well as those who are parking in Lidl to carry out shopping in Penicuik precinct. This will also impact visitors from around the area who come to shop in Penicuik and visit the Market.

I can confirm that this matter will be thoroughly looked into by the Penicuik and District Community Council. Any further action will be disclosed in due course.

New Conservative councillor and group leader Pauline Winchester also pledged on Twitter to investigate the matter. She told a constituent that she would “take it up on her behalf” saying that she too “parked there often”. Another local councillor Debbi McColl (SNP) has started a petition aimed at getting Lidl to allow GP patients to also use the car park.

A spokesperson for Lidl UK said:

Unfortunately it was recently brought to our attention that a number of customers were experiencing ongoing problems locating available parking spaces in our car park, when visiting our store to carrying out their shopping. As a responsible retailer we are committed to prioritising the needs of our customers and, as such, took the decision to install a car park management system to help ensure availability of parking spaces. The system allows for up to 90 minutes of parking, with a 10 minute grace period, should a customer change their mind.

Contrary to popular belief, the parking charge notice must be paid if issued or the parking management company AthenaANPR could take you to court to achieve a much higher amount.

As Midlothian Council prepares to roll out so called “blue meanie” parking enforcement officers this year, parking in Penicuik’s Town Centre will now be incredibly limited. The only public carpark left will be Evolve Estate’s 130 space facility outside B&M Bargains. Despite the signage, the Cuckoo understands that that carpark has not been managed in around two years, though it could be in the future.

What do you think? Let us know below or join the conversation on Facebook or Twitter.

TagsEconomyPenicuikRetail
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Thomas Scott

Editor and founder of The Penicuik Cuckoo. Fourth year Architecture student (MA Hons) at Edinburgh University currently writing on the role of architecture in post-industrial towns. Interested in all things Penicuik. Triplet.

  • Jackie Haston

    Why has this important car park ever been sold in the first place? Surely it should have been leased out to lidl. The parking situation in Penicuik has been a problem for many years and Midlothian council are not doing enough to alleviate it and the problem is the councils fault. The main shopping areas are brightly decorated with double yellow lines, 20 minute waiting area notices and traffic islands. Marvellous! .. give yourself a pat on the head Midlothian council for getting it to a critical point and messing up again! Send along the parking wardens and penalty fines, that is the only thing you have not permanently done to stop people shopping and visiting the town. That is your solution to the problem. Allow another 540 houses to be built in a town which is already congested and more traffic problems .Whatever your reasons for doing this beggars belief. It is certainly not to help the town or its people who live here! As for Athena car park fine for £90 to which I received for parking and shopping in lidl. (machine would not scan my receipt ).As a goodwill gesture Athena car parks… I may send you a cheque for 50p as I have already told you. I consider this to be in line with current parking charges in Edinburgh area metering for 20mins. Penicuik parking is free (when you can find a space). Athena car parks thankyou for your latest e-mail, it was quite amusing and please consider the environmental issues regarding trees and paper when you send me a letter through the post.

  • Alex B Cuthbert

    Let me start by saying that car parks cost money: they do not come out of fresh air with no cost attached. I occasionaly stop to shop at the Lidl store when passing through Penicuik (incidentally one of my favourite towns ouside Edinburgh where I live) as it is extremely convenient for me when driving down to the borders which I do on a semi-regulat basis. However I had not realised until recently why it was becoming so difficult to find a parking space there: noticeably more so over the last year.
    Companies like Lidl, or indeed any other company build car parks to provide parking for its customers. and let’s face it Lidl is very good at what it does at very good prices.. It is not in business to provide free parking for everybody else, although I understand that this is what has been happening until recently and this issue seems to have reached a pitch only because the town council (and others?) have not kept their acts up to speed.
    If there is a problem with the adjacent GP practice having no car park it raises the question ‘why not? Why was it given Planning Permission without adequate parking provision ? General Practitioners are employed as private contractors by the NHS – they are not employees of the NHS but are in effect self employed in much the same way as firms of Chartered Accountants, Chartered Surveyors, Solicitors or Estate Agents. The big differecustomers (a.k.a ‘patients’) as these are supplied (and totally subsidised) by the state) meaning that GP practices are, or hould be, very well set up to finance the provision of their own car parking for their customers.
    In much the same way as visitors to another house in your street do not have the right to park their car(s) on your driveway (which you have presumably paid for in the purchase price) – if you are fortunate enough to have one – I suggest that Lidl is perfectly within its rights to protect one of the corner stones of its business: its car park which, presumably, it contsructed to serve its customers in the community and beyons – not to let Midlothain Council and the private practitioners of the local GP practice escape their responsibilities by somehow allowing the residents of penicuik and beyond to believe it is somehow the fault of Lidl.

  • John Bratton

    I live in Edinburgh and shop at Lidl almost every week. Last Sunday, after walking near Peebles, my wife and I called in the Penicuik store to buy something for dinner. We were in the store for only 21 minutes and received a parking charge today (Friday) for £90. Outrageous! I shall boycott the store.

Timeline

  • November 4, 2018

    Anchor Town Centre Store to Close

  • October 2, 2018

    2 SCOTS to Parade in Penicuik

  • August 23, 2018

    A702 Roundabout Works to Restart

  • June 12, 2018

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  • January 12, 2018

    Mauricewood Roundabout Works Begin

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