15/04/2026
What We Stand to Lose
With a proposed parking scheme by the council, we take a look at what this could mean for the independent businesses in the area.
These businesses are already under pressure. Costs are rising, habits are changing and it’s getting harder to keep things going year by year. They rely on people choosing to come here and on decisions being made with a real understanding of how places like Larkhall actually work.
When something shifts, even slightly, it can start to have an effect. A change to parking might not seem like much on paper, but it changes how people move through a place, how often they come and whether they stop at all.
It’s the independent shops that will feel that first. The ones without much room to absorb it. The ones that make up people’s routines and give a place its identity.
If those businesses start to struggle, it spreads. It affects the people working there, the suppliers behind the scenes and the wider community that depends on them.
Over time, that’s how places change. It’s not sudden, but bit by bit. Fewer jobs, fewer reasons to come, and something that once felt like a thriving high street starts to thin out.
This highlights how fragile these places are and what we risk losing if decisions like this aren’t thought through.
