AN 'UNDERUSED' car park in Bicester should scrap charges to boost town centre trade, the mayor has said.

Sean Gaul is calling for Cherwell District Council to offer free parking for up to two hours at Claremont Car Park, claiming it could 'inject an adrenaline shot of economic activity'.

He said a council committee is currently reviewing car park charges across the district, and has discussed hiking prices in Bicester to align it with Banbury.

Opposing this idea, the mayor said: "I am becoming more convinced of the need to consider individual car park policies to suit individual areas – [Bicester's] needs are different to those in Kidlington and Banbury.

"Bicester's town centre is improving almost weekly with the introduction of many new businesses over the past few months, but this must not stop us looking at what can be done to improve.

"Town centres up and down this country are currently in the midst of a great storm and we must do all we can to help weather Bicester from its effects."

Claremont Car Park in Victoria Road has 159 spaces and leads directly to Deans Court, but Mr Gaul said it is 'underused'.

His calculations suggest the bays had, on average, only been 42 per cent full in the past year.

He said the council's committee has made 'a strong case against district-wide free parking', as the money generated from charges can be ploughed back into delivering council services.

Mr Gaul added that the compromising on two-hour free parking would increase footfall, however, and the 'benefits would far outweigh the cost'.

He said most Bicester drivers use the two-hour free parking at Sainsbury's, avoiding the charges at Claremont.

Parking on weekdays and Saturdays currently costs 60 pence for up to an hour, £1.20 for up to two hours, and £1.70 for up to three hours. Sunday prices are cheaper, and evenings are free.

Mr Gaul said plans being debated by the council's overview and scrutiny sub-committee, to be submitted to its executive committee in January, could see charges increased slightly to match Banbury prices.

The councillor said: "Any increase would simply serve to push shoppers to out-of-town retail hubs with free parking, even though the travelling costs would outweigh the car park fees.

"We should be bold, imaginative, creative and exciting in our approach to bettering Bicester's town centre."

He said a neighbouring authority increased its car park occupancy by 205 per cent and reduced retail vacancy rates by 45 per cent by introducing two-hour free parking.

Nigel French, co-owner of Coles Books in Crown Walk, said he was in favour of free parking for all hours, not just two.

He said: "Free parking is a very enlightened approach to town centre vibrancy.

"We have an exceptional shopping experience as part of the town, which draws in people from all over the world, and they have never charged for parking.

"If the town centre wants to aspire to a better shopping experience, we can learn an awful lot from what our friends at Bicester Village are doing."

He said two-hour stints could be 'counterproductive', however, adding: "It doesn't encourage browsing and could actually increase anxiety, with people rushing to get back to their cars - you can't explore a town in two hours.

"If it's not free permanently, an equally enlightened approach would be to pay on exit, so you're not rushing to get back."