Monday February 2nd 2026
North Berwick town centre streets will have parking meters installed.
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Marie Sharp
Thousands of people have signed a petition calling on East Lothian Council to ‘pause’ its plans to introduce parking charges in town centres across the county.
The local authority is due to start charging drivers to park in North Berwick from next months with plans to introduce parking meters in four more towns expected to be introduce over the next year.
However a petition has been launched calling on the local authority to put the proposals on hold to allow a “holistic, rigorous, and publicly accessible overarching impact review” to take place.
Petitioner Lindsey Horner argues that while individual reports and consultations have been undertaken for specific locations, there is currently no single, comprehensive impact assessment that examines the cumulative social, economic, equality, accessibility, environmental, and democratic impacts of the parking charge plans across all affected town centres.
In the petition they state: “Local democracy depends on decisions being evidence-led, transparent, and participatory.
“A pause to allow for a rigorous impact review and genuine consultation is not obstructionist; it is responsible governance.
“This petition is submitted in the spirit of constructive engagement and in the interest of fair, inclusive, and accountable decision-making for East Lothian’s communities.”
More than 2,500 people have signed the petition which is on Change.org so far with supporters voicing their concerns about the impending charges.
One said: “I am perplexed and deeply concerned about the parking charges.”
Another added: “The installation of these posts and meters are not only an eyesore but without community consent or proper consultation. ELC are not listening to resounding public voice/opinion yet again.”
In North Berwick the installation of the poles which will be used for the signs telling people they need to pay in the historic town centre sparked a furious reaction on social media with protesters criticising the impact they were already having on the area before the meters were even introduced.
In December councillors faced angry protests outside their chambers in Haddington as they met to agree to push ahead with the process of introducing the meters in Dunbar, Haddington, Tranent and Musselburgh.
The meeting was temporarily disrupted as councillors were drowned out by the noise from the street outside and, at one point, an objector in the room had to be ejected after he began shouting ‘shame on you all’ at elected members.
East Lothian Council chiefs say the parking charges are required to encourage turnaround in spaces in the towns, encourage other ways of travelling and fund enforcement officers.
Speaking about the North Berwick changes Councillor John McMillan, spokesperson for economic development and tourism, said: “Most council areas in Scotland already have a form of town centre parking charges and we expect a range of benefits to be delivered by their introduction in North Berwick, including improved road safety through better enforcement of unsafe and illegal parking.
“By increasing the turnover of spaces and providing easier access for shopping, we hope to see greater footfall within local businesses too.
“These parking measures are also aimed at encouraging more people to adopt active travel options, improving their health and well-being while playing a part in tackling climate change.”
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