The appeal was launched late last year by Kilwinning business Dino and Sons – after early budget consultations revealed the council were considering removing free parking from town centres.
Since then, the petition has been within their Main Street premises – and has gathered the support of 1,100 signatures – alongside a further 800 submitted online after the form was shared on the Dino and Sons Facebook page.
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This document, alongside further supporting papers, was delivered to Cunninghame House on Tuesday, January 7, by representatives from the business and their landlord Graeme Milliken.
It was lodged for the attention of council chief executive Craig Hatton and it is now expected that it will be considered by the audit and scrutiny committee on Thursday, January 23.
Graeme commented: “The proposals are not only unfair but we feel that they are unjustifiable. They are trying to monetise car parking and use it against the people.
“The cost of living crisis continues to escalate at an alarming rate, with no relief in sight for constituents, this would impose yet another financial strain on families already struggling to make ends meet.
“I feel they should look closer to home and find some money within their organisation and leave local businesses to focus on their own affairs before they start penalising hard-working people.
“We urge the council to take these voices into account and reconsider the introduction of parking charges.”
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Petition organisers will be hoping their pleas are successful this time around – as they were only two years ago.
The controversial proposal was previously voted on by elected members in February 2023, when several town centre car parks were earmarked for the introduction of parking charges.
Prior to that vote, several business from across the county came together and submitted a similar petition claiming this would “accelerated the demise of town centres”.
The plans, which had been in the pipeline for four years, were then scrapped following a vote by councillors.
A decision will be made on the proposals once again when North Ayrshire Council meet to set its budget for the financial year 2025/26 on Wednesday, February 26.
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A North Ayrshire Council spokesperson said: “For next year, we anticipate a significant budget gap which will requires us to make a number of savings. Unfortunately, that means there will be difficult choices ahead.
“However, it is important to stress that no decisions have yet been taken on any potential savings.
“We are currently analysing feedback we received during our recent engagement with communities and this will help inform councillors when they meet to set the budget in February 2025.”