FREE parking in the city centre ends this month with concerns the move will push more shoppers out of the city.

It is a long-running debate whether the availability of free parking is putting the city centre at a disadvantage compared to out of town destinations.

At the same time, plans to improve the city centre to make it more attractive for visitors to involve fewer cars and more pedestrian spaces.

After proposals were revealed earlier this year, this Sunday is the last day of free on-street parking in Glasgow city centre to tackle what the council have called “bay blocking”.

From the following week, June 30, there will be parking charges imposed and restrictions in place.

By charging for parking on the street on Sundays the council hopes that people will choose to switch to public transport or use one of the council-run city centre car parks instead.

READ MORE: New Glasgow parking zones to tackle congestion across city

But business leaders worry that it will give customers another reason to drive to out of town mall with huge free car parks.

While the council said it makes it easier to find an on-street parking space for the purpose of shopping, leisure, tourism, business and disabled access.

The ambition is for the change to reduce congestion with fewer people driving into the city centre and for those who do more spaces available as they will not be occupied all day by one car.

The charges are the same as Monday to Saturday so drivers will have to pay £1 for 15 minutes, equalling £4 an hour.

There is a maximum stay of two hours intended to free up spaces throughout the day.

The council said the current free all day “stifles” the availability of spaces and causes congestion and pollution as motorists drive around the streets looking for a free space.

With city centre stores and restaurants facing competition from Braehead, Silverburn and the Fort business leaders warn against the changes and fear the motivation is income, not congestion.

Stuart Patrick, chief executive of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, said: “We are concerned these charges will lead to shoppers being pushed out of the city centre and towards peripheral malls, which is worrying for traders and in contrast to our overall ambitions for retail and leisure in the city.

READ MORE: Sunday parking charges will be end of Glasgow City Centre shops

“We’ve long suspected these proposals are more about raising money than being genuine attempts at alleviating congestion or pollution, enacted at a time when businesses are under real pressure.”

The council, however, said it will improve the city centre and make it more attractive for shoppers and visitors.

A spokesman for Glasgow City Council said: “This new range of measures is about tackling parking bay blocking in the city centre on a Sunday.

“Many drivers currently park on the street on a Saturday night, leaving their vehicles unmoved until well into the next day. Other motorists also take up spaces for long spells throughout the day on a Sunday.

“The new regulations will make Sunday on-street parking more frequently available to shoppers, visitors, tourists, blue badge holders and residents alike. Improved parking regulations are known to reduce congestion and this, in turn, should improve air quality in the city centre.”

As part of the new measures, the council said a number of taxi ranks will be extended or introduced across the city centre to provide further alternative options for people travelling to and from town.

New signs highlighting the new parking measures are currently being installed across the city centre, but enforcement will not commence until Sunday, June 30.

The changes are in line with the future vision of the city centre with a shift to prioritising pedestrians over cars.

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The spokesman added: “Encouraging greater use of sustainable transport within the city centre is a key theme within the recent reports by the Connectivity Commission. The new measures for Sunday parking are part of our efforts to meet the Commission’s vision of a reformed city centre transport system.”