It seems it's not just me who takes a dim view of the two hour limit on parking at Park Farm shopping centre in Allestree, this article was in the Derby Telegraph (June 30 2011):


“A word of warning if you are shopping at Park Farm Allestree! If your errands/library visit/shopping/coffee break/trawl round the charity shops etc are going to take more than two hours in total, and you are driving there, DO NOT USE this shopping centre!! 
Although this shopping centre has two separate car parks, they are 'classed as one' for parking penalties, even though there is NOTHING AT ALL to tell you this, on either of the car park signs. They are both operated by the same private company whose head office is down south. 
My 60+ friend, who is unemployed at the moment and on a low income, went for a job interview at one of the shops in the centre. She parked on the ground level open air car park for less than two hours. After the interview she fancied a coffee in a local cafe, to relax, then wanted to do some shopping, which she did. The time was getting towards two hours and she still had not had time to browse round the four charity shops, so BEFORE two hours was up, she moved her car to the other car park which is on the roof of the shopping centre, thinking she could then have upto two hours there. Returning to her car after about an hour she was dismayed to find she had been given a penalty parking ticket for £50. 
The employee of the parking firm confirmed that nothing on her recording equipment differentiated between one car park and the other, so in effect they are classed as the 'same' car park! Her advice was to speak to the centre manager, who just did not want to know. He said he used to have permission to use his own discretion and get tickets cancelled, but no longer did this. Full stop. The parking company head office also told her to contact the shopping centre manager. He told her to take it up with the company. (Bit like Wimbledon really...) So she was left with the choice of appealing with little hope of winning, whilst the fine increased week by week, or paying up under protest. As she is still without a job, she chose the latter.”

and two comments:

PS I can understand the centre management wanting to 'discourage' parking by university staff and students, also people parking at Allestree then walking or bussing into town, but this parking policy is discriminating against people who genuinely are just using the facilities of the shopping centre and spending their money there, but who cannot dash round the many shops quickly enough. I cannot carry much shopping at one time, due to arthritis in hands which also means I cannot easily pull a full shopping trolley, so when I go there, to shop, I have to return to my car several times depositing more shopping from each shop. Park Farm Shopping Centre has the most convenient Wilkinsons and Farmfoods with their cheap prices etc and a selection of other shops, cafes, library etc, but in one trip there is just not time for everything within the two free hours parking time permitted. There is NO OPTION to pay and stop for any longer than two hours. And now I realise you cannot move your car to the other car park without risking a penalty charge, I use the centre much less often. You can no longer stop for lunch there in one of the cafes and still have time to visit all the shops, so in fact the centre is losing trade because of this stupid rule. I used to visit with two friends every week but now it's about once a month, watching the clock at all times, not a very relaxing shopping experience, and I have moved much of my custom elsewhere. In these days of very expensive petrol, it makes sense to try to do as much as possible in one trip out, instead of several separate journeys. I WONDER how many other people have been caught out like my friend!? Please post a comment here if so. Thanks. (Afterthought.....Come on Wilko's and Farmfoods, let's have some new branches in Chad, or even at Meteor centre, with free parking, then I can stop visiting Allestree altogether! Sorry Allestree, no offence meant!)

Maybe they should just make it 1hour across the board and then introduce a small £1.20 per aditional hour as is the case with other carparks?

Surely introducing parking charges, especially at the rate of £1.20 per hour, will only discourage people from using Park Farm at all?!

Read more: http://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/discussions/word-warning-shopping-Park-Farm-Allestree-errands/discussion-12856908-detail/discussion.html#ixzz36nNzmSp8
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