91�ȱ�

A plan to introduce parking fees at City of Derry Airport has been met with mixed reaction from the public.

A that due to verbal abuse of staff, £1 will be charged for up to two-hours parking.

Parking will no longer be free for less than ten minutes. It will mean a decrease from £4 for a two-hour period to £1.

Clive Coleman, RCA contracts director at City of Derry Airport, has said the move was "not to increase revenues".

He said the fee would reduce congestion and was in response to an increase in traffic incidents.

"The level of abuse is of deep concern to the airport's management team and the board of directors and is at a level that can no longer be tolerated," Mr Coleman said.

Members of the public will need to pay a £1 fee to enter the car park and would be permitted to stay for a two-hour period.

The changes will be introduced on 1 December 2015.

Too short

Former chairman of the airport users committee James Buchanan, welcomed the change.

"There have been a number of complaints about taking away the 10 minutes free parking," Mr Buchanan said.

"There are all sorts of people saying that this is the City of Derry trying to raise more money.

"But in reality, 10 minutes was too short for a number of people.

"I have talked to staff a number of times and I know they do get a lot of abuse from people when they have run over the 10 minutes and find that they can't get out in the 10-minute period."

Safety concerns

The Consumer Council has said they had not yet received any formal complaints about the plans.

"Whilst this is disappointing coming into the Christmas period, we also recognise the airport's safety concerns," said the Consumer Council's head of transport policy Scott Kennerley.

"We welcome the news that short stay prices are being reduced from £4 to £1 for a two-hour stay.

"This should be beneficial if there are flight delays and allow people to meet passengers inside the airport terminal building."