Car park charges branded a “scandalous tax on drivers” are being put to the public.
Moves to implement fees across a raft of new sites face a four-week trial by consultation.
Feedback will decide the fate of controversial proposals – which include multiple car parks in Ayr, Troon and Prestwick.
And we can reveal a new car park – never identified in the council’s original plans last year – has made the cut at the eleventh hour.
Bosses want to charge £5 a day for drivers to use the packed New Road car park at Tam’s Brig.
Other sites include Blackburn Drive’s beach car park in Ayr and Bellevue Road in Prestwick.
While Troon will be targeted at Titchfield Road, South Beach Road (Ivy Cottage) and South Beach Esplanade.
Meanwhile public car parks in Maybole and Girvan escape scot free.
Proposed charges of 50p per half hour are being made by the Ayrshire Road Alliance, carrying out the move on behalf of South Ayrshire Council. But the move to add Tam’s Brig to the list, where drivers will be charged £5 per day, has sparked fury.
Council opposition leader, Martin Dowey, said: “The biggest complaint about our towns – particularly Ayr – is the lack of free parking provision. As a council we need to be asking ourselves whether we are open for business or are we determined to keep driving people away for good?”
Meanwhile, councillors in Prestwick insist the move to charge at the giant Bellevue Road site near the Main Street could cause chaos.
Tory Hugh Hunter said: “It’s madness and nothing short of a scandalous tax on drivers and low paid workers. This sends a terrible message to the people who work in our Main Street and who will now, inevitably, be displaced into side streets looking for free space.
“It will lead to untold problems.”
Council chiefs insist the public has a window in which to voice its opinion, with consultation ending on May 8.
A spokesman said: “The statutory timescales for the TRO (Traffic Regulation Order) process include a period of public consultation, which will provide the opportunity for local people to have their say on the proposed introduction of charges.
“The consultation feedback and the TROs will be considered by the council’s Regulatory Panel in June.
“Objectors must state their reasons in writing to the Head of Roads of the Ayrshire Roads Alliance.”
