CONTROVERSIAL plans for a 30-strong army of traffic wardens to patrol the streets were given the go-ahead this week.
And by 2007 there will be pay meters on side roads around the town centre.
At a meeting of Macclesfield Borough Council's Cabinet on Monday, July 11, members unanimously agreed to adopt decriminalisation, in partnership with Cheshire County Council.
This will see enforcement of on-street parking taken out of the hands of the police, who currently employ one person to monitor the entire 202 square miles of the borough, and become the responsibility of the highways authority.
Banks of pay meters will be installed along the fringes of the town centre, enforced by at least 30 new wardens, penalty charges will rise by 50 per cent, while residents living in those areas will have to pay about £30 a year for the privilege of parking near their homes.
Decriminalisation is likely to come into force in 2007, subject to Cheshire County Council agreeing to the transfer of powers.
With the prospect of raking in an extra £1.5 million a year hinging on the decision, borough councillors were keen for agreement to be reached as soon as possible.
Council leader, Wesley Fitzgerald, said: "We've got to pin ourselves down to a timescale and that includes getting the county council to commit to a timescale for the transfer of powers."
But the meeting heard that the county council was unlikely to oppose the plan.
Head of Technical Services, Steve Randall, said: "Without decriminalisation we would need a re-think, but that's very unlikely.
"This is the start of the process, but we need that commitment to move to a new era. It would help us if we can manage on and off-street parking in the future."
Macclesfield Borough Council currently manages 3,980 pay and display off-street car parking spaces in the borough and car parks in Wilmslow are bursting to capacity.
A recent study by consultants confirmed "significant abuse" of on-street facilities by both shoppers and commuters in Wilmslow and recommended decriminalisation as the only way to combat the problem.
Coun Jamie Macrae said: "We are in a situation generally where there is very little enforcement carried out and that is an increasing problem.
"The earliest we could get to a stage of decriminalisation would be 2007, so obviously there is an intervening period.
"In one or two cases, there can be independent timescales with or without decriminalisation."
Other aspects of the approved draft parking strategy include the development of extra parking facilities, optimum use of on and off-street parking capacity, and reviewing the benefits and opportunities of on-street charging and residents' parking schemes.
The borough council recently announced a major development plan for Macclesfield town centre which includes adding another multi storey car park but it has yet to earmark funding for an additional car park in Wilmslow. Plans to deck up Spring Street car park have been on the shelf for the past two years despite undisputed demand and calls for more parking spaces for the growing army of town centre workers and shoppers.
