ALMOST 1700 people have signed a petition calling for Gawler Council to take action against supermarket giant Woolworths and its move to set a two-hour time limit on its Finniss Street carpark.

Woolworths changed the parking time limit in its carpark between Finniss Street and Jacob Lane from all day to two hours in September, causing an uproar amongst Murray Street traders who say it is hurting their businesses.

A concerned group of business owners then set up a petition which circulated throughout the main street for six weeks, before it was formally presented at last Tuesday’s Gawler Council meeting with 1695 signatures.

The petition wants the time limit changed to four hours, with organisers calling it a “happy medium”.

Speaking at the meeting, Coffee on Jacob owner David Knibbs said shoppers were shunning Gawler in favour of nearby retail precincts because of the parking pains.

“People are going past Gawler to Munno Para or Elizabeth because there’s no parking restrictions down there,” he said.

“I struggle week-to-week, month-to-month.

“Back 13 years ago it was said that (Woolworths) parking wouldn’t impact any of the businesses around it.

“Sorry, but I think it is.”

According to a report presented later in the meeting, Harmony Property Group approached council, on behalf of Woolworths, in 2017 to inquire about council providing a monitoring service for the carpark, similar to at Gawler Central and Phoenix Plaza shopping centres.

Council met with Woolworths representatives twice, in October and November, to discuss the business owners’ concerns, with the report stating the supermarket giant “has agreed to give further  consideration” to the issue.

Despite Gawler Council taking traders’ worries directly to the carpark’s owner, the report stated the parking restrictions weren't “inconsistent” with the town’s car parking strategy.

“However, and in general terms, the provision of short-term parking options such as 2hr parking should be accommodated within premium retail precincts like the Gum Tree Plaza/Woolworths/Big W/Commercial Lane Precinct as this reflects the typical duration of stay for retail customers and seeks to improve convenience,” the report read.

“It is important to note the role Woolworths and Big W play in the overall retail fabric, and that the success of the precinct is very much associated with their ongoing success.

“The ability of Woolworths to attract and retail customers is intrinsically linked to the success of surrounding small business.”