THE parking squeeze in Cinderford town centre is getting even tighter – at just the time the town wants to draw more people into its revitalised centre.

Town centre workers using store car parks for all-day parking are being blamed as one reason for a two-hour limit being extended to land formerly regarded as "free" parking.

The County Store, planning a big extension, is developing land adjacent to the store as additional parking space.

But the new area will only make up for extra store building at the front of the premises, said Oxford and Swindon Co-op food division controller Bill Laird.

"We have run our car park on a goodwill basis for many years now," he said, adding that it was provided primarily for customers.

"We believe that a two hour limit for parking is more than adequate for doing a family shop and people can fit in a visit to the town centre shops as well."

He said there were no plans as yet to introduce parking charges but if the space went on being abused by long-term parkers it would have to be considered, perhaps with a system of redemption of charges for bona fide shoppers.

With the big changes being planned for the Cinderford store and the acquisition of the Somerfield store in Coleford the Co-op had a huge investment in the Forest.

His main concern was putting Cinderford's shoppers first and giving them the best possible facilities.

Chairman of Cinderford Chamber of Commerce David Gardner agreed that parking was becoming a major issue in the town with frustrated motorists searching for spaces.

"Where else can anyone go – if you need to create space you have to knock properties down and that's expensive," he said.

It was impossible to find long term parking which would take pressure off other spaces.

However Cinderford Town Clerk Lynda Thomas said it was a problem that was being addressed, although with ongoing work in the town centre it was difficult to put a timescale on things.

"The district council has identified some money for this purpose and land of Heywood Road is to be developed as a shoppers' car park," she said, adding that people had been reluctant to walk in from smaller areas of parking.

"It has also been pointed out that the town council owns the Belle Vue Centre and that car parking there should be opened to the public. However, in this case the building's tenants come first.

"But people are working on the problem. It is a matter of time."