PLYMOUTH City Centre Company is to lobby for free parking at certain times and days in a bid to help struggling retailers.

The organisation will also oppose moves to increase parking charges.

The revelation comes in a report to Plymouth City Council's Growth and Prosperity Overview and Scrutiny Panel, which meets today.

City centre manager Clint Jones was to give the panel an overview of the key issues and challenges facing the city centre's Business Improvement District (BID).

And he was to give a response to TV presenter Mary Portas's review of the future of the UK high street, addressing each of her 28 points.

Affordable town centre parking was one of Ms Portas's key recommendations.

Mr Jones said, in his report, that he would talk to the council about implementing a scheme whereby parking is free on certain days or times and highlighted schemes in other cities.

London, Chester, Perth, Barnet and Wirral have all brought in schemes by which parking is free after a certain time, for example.

Sunday and evening parking in Plymouth City Centre was free between 2000 and 2003, when it was scrapped because the council said it needed the cash raised from charging, mainly to save officers' jobs, despite sales from Sunday shopping in Plymouth increasing by 30 per cent a year.

Mr Jones, in his report, called parking "an eternal bugbear for city centre retailers".

He said: "The reality is that we are unlikely to ever be able to convince the council to offer completely free parking in Plymouth.

"However, it is clear that parking is important to consumers and therefore we will continue to lobby on behalf of retailers to ensure that the cost is kept down.

"Many towns and cities are already offering 'free after…' campaigns or specific days when parking is free.

"We will speak directly to the authority about these schemes with a view to implementing something similar in Plymouth.

"In the meantime, we currently have some of the best value car parking in the South West, not least with Western Approach car park offering all day for £5."

Ms Portas's spotlighting of parking charges has already received support from businesses, including in Plymouth.

And the Federation of Small Businesses has said the lack of affordable town centre parking is driving trade away from the high street to out-of-town retail sites and said free controlled parking schemes could address this.

However, Dr Steven Brand, head of economics and regional development at Plymouth University, last month told The Herald he was unconvinced free parking would make a big enough impact within Plymouth.

He said he was unconvinced lower parking charges would be significant in regenerating the city centre.

Mr Jones, in the remainder of his report, also said the City Centre Company supported a "town centre first" approach to development, which he highlighted as "vitally important" in light of plans to develop the Derriford area.

He also backed a move towards "turnover based" rent reviews for traders, and a public register of landlords which he said would encourage them to take "a more active role in the high street".