ON-STREET parking in Greenock town centre could be increased to a maximum of two hours.

Inverclyde Council will also consider proposals to alter its new parking scheme to apply restrictions – both on-street and off-street – from Monday to Friday between 8am and 6pm rather than Monday to Saturday.

They will also look at removing Terrace Road and West Stewart Street from the parking disc operation area to provide unlimited on-street parking.

Earlier this month the Council took on responsibility for on-street parking regulations more than three years after police withdrew their traffic warden service.

Environment & Education Convener Councillor Michael McCormick said: “It became clear very quickly that people had become used to the lack of regulation in the town centre so to suddenly be told there were strict time restrictions which were being enforced may have come as a bit of a shock to them.

"The net result appears to be that rather than risk a ticket, people have been parking elsewhere when we want to encourage shoppers to come into the town centre. We have been speaking to local businesses and they have suggested some amendments to the parking arrangements to give visitors and shoppers more time while maintaining a turnover of spaces.” Inverclyde Council began a lengthy process with the Scottish Government to change the regulations to allow it to issue tickets when the police removed traffic wardens in the summer of 2011.

In the meantime parking became a serious issue across Inverclyde but particularly in Greenock town centre where inconsiderate and illegal parking led to safety concerns and inconvenience for shoppers, disabled people and businesses.

The new parking strategy is designed to address these issues by providing parking opportunities for all road users, introducing signs and lines to advise where people can park and for how long.

In most cases there were existing parking restrictions which had not been enforced for three years.

The Environment & Regeneration Committee is to consider taking steps as soon as practicably possible to bring in these changes throughout Greenock town centre.

The report being considered by the Committee also proposes better signage to encourage drivers to use the Bullring car park in Greenock town centre which is free for three hours and the all-day Council car park at the Waterfront.

The Committee has already instructed officers to bring reports back on the parking strategies in Inverclyde’s other town centres and also to bring a report back on proposals for resident parking permits in Greenock town centre.

The proposals will be considered by the Council’s Environment & Regeneration Committee on Thursday 30 October 2014.