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Over the near four years of being parish priest, the car park at Our Lady Star of the Sea has been a cause of headaches for parishioners and a way forward hasn’t (yet) made itself known, or else, a solution that doesn’t have significant drawbacks.

At present, a donation is requested to park and this yields a small income for the parish. To park locally, one has to pay and so I think, with perhaps the exception of Trinity Methodist Church on Whitby Road, we are the only ‘free’ or donation-based parking in the town.

I am uneasy about charging for parking, not least because of what this might communicate to our wider community and the town, by restricting use of the car park to those who go to Mass or to parishioners. I often make the point that everyone in Ellesmere Port and Hooton (Catholic or non-Catholic) is a
parishioner!

I have spoken recently to two parish priests regarding car parking: one in our Shrewsbury diocese and another in Portsmouth diocese. Using different schemes they, with diocesan approval, invited a company to monitor the car
park, issue tickets and fines for those not paying, and manage a database of parishioners’ registration numbers so as to exempt them from charges and any fines. These schemes also allow free parking on Sundays, for example.

One such scheme is now generating high five figures in terms of extra income for a parish and is a much-needed boost to the parish. There are advantages and disadvantages to any possible change or scheme, but at this early
stage I would want to consult the parish: What would be for the best? Should we have a small charge that everyone pays? Should we have exemptions from the parking charge for Mass- going parishioners? How would this be policed and regulated? What about those who consider themselves parishioners, for example who went to Our Lady’s school and their parents went to Mass but don’t go to Mass themselves - but are very opposed to not being considered a parishioner when it comes to car parking charges.

I explained this last week to a small group talking after Mass about this complex issue, that as I ‘live above the shop’, I have always hesitated to pursue any changes with the car park as I know that, even now, people beat a path to Ann’s door in the Parish Office, or my front door - at all hours of the day and night - regarding their cars and bumps/scratches, complaints about the limited parking, etc.

We must move forward cautiously, but I am willing to hear comments and any contributions parishioners wish to make ahead of any formal exploration of what might be possible. I will then, update you in the coming weeks once the parish has had a chance to mention to me any thoughts. Thank you.