FESTIVE cheer could be in short supply in Petersfield this year after the Christmas parking saga took a new twist this week.
And traders have called into question the planning and logistics of the East Hampshire District Council-organised Christmas activities in the town.
It came on the back of a surprise announcement that EHDC is to waive Sunday car parking charges on the first sunday in December – but only in Alton.
In an EHDC statement this week Andrew Joy, Alton's East Hampshire district councillor said that its annual event was expected to draw in residents from around the region.
"EHDC has put a considerable amount of effort into the Petersfield Christmas Festival but we wanted to show our support for Alton's Yuletide Festival as well," said Mr Joy.
The U-turn comes after mounting opposition to Sunday car parking charges and increases in other car parking fees in both towns.
While the latest move is set to benefit visitors to Alton's Yuletide Festival on December 7 people in Petersfield say it will be at the expense of the town's own three-day Christmas Festival, which runs from December 5-7.
The parking issue is just one of a growing number of grievances by traders and Petersfield town councillors over the Christmas Festival which they think will deter shoppers during the busiest time of the year.
With just seven weeks to Christmas, Petersfield is putting the finishing touches to its festivities, but not everyone in the town is impressed by the organisation which is believed to being carried out "in house".
Now there are even more rumblings of discontent after EHDC officers told Petersfield town councillors at its meeting on Tuesday that the authority wanted to close off the High Street and other roads around the town centre from 8am on Friday, December 5, until 8pm on Sunday, December 7.
Roads affected are High Street, The Square and Chapel Street up to Park Road. Lavant Street up to Charles Street will definitely also be closed on Saturday and Sunday, but a decision is still to be made about possible Friday closure. Access into Swan Street and Castle Yard car park is also still under discussion.
There will also be no access for buses as the bus stop outside the Oxfam shop will be out of action and moved up to the railway station. EHDC has also confirmed that the usual High Street rubbish collections will not take place on the Friday.
On the plus side, it is understood there will be a park-and-ride scheme operating and residents affected by the closures will be given car passes to enable them to get to and from their homes.
"I am not happy about closing off the streets," said Mary Vincent, chairman of Petersfield Town Council planning committee.
"It appears to be a fait accompli, but as far as I am concerned cutting off the High Street to incoming traffic will only persuade shoppers to go sailing past," she added.
Jill Towner, from Towners Jewellers in the High Street, who is also the secretary of the Association of Petersfield Businesses, said: "That is ridiculous. People won't come shopping when they can't easily get into town.
"It is very serious and I am worried about small businesses which have to do a lot of business to see them through January and February. It will be very damaging for us."
If that wasn't enough, there is disquiet too over the timing of the switch-on of the town's Christmas lights on December 5, planned to coincide with the first day of the festival but three weeks later than last year when the town was lit up for Christmas in mid-November.
"You have got to think of the cost-effectiveness of the outlay of the Christmas lights," said Ken Hick, a former Petersfield mayor and town councillor.
"We only have them to bring people into Petersfield to spend money and shortening that period of time to coincide with something, it's hard to find a justification for that.
"They are so expensive now because of all the regulations that have to be met you need to get value for money."
And added Mr Hick: "We have to bear in mind that we are in competition with other areas."
But Vernon Peake, chairman of Petersfield Marketing Limited, who has been instrumental in getting the almost £8,000 of Christmas lights up and running for several years, said: "We usually do it in the last week of November but we are just going back the the more traditional days – it is only a week later."
In the meantime, most of the town's market traders who took umbrage when they told they would have to move their stalls to a different location to house the festival activities have agreed to set up along the edge of The Square and part of Chapel Street.
"We are not happy with the way were pushed around but we've got to make the most of it," said one of the market traders on Wednesday.