FEARS are growing that increased parking fees and proposals to introduce charges on Sundays and Bank Holidays in Petersfield could drive the lifeblood of business elsewhere. Petersfield Bookshop owner Ann Westwood, who moved to the town in 1958, spoke to The Herald about her concerns. She said: "At the moment it's bad, because we've got a lot of shops closing down. "I don't think there are enough individual shops in Petersfield for people to come here. "Why come to park in Petersfield when you could go somewhere and have a huge selection of shops? "Everything is centred on Rams Walk, which is a shame. It used to be such a bustling town," she added. "They seem to think that having restaurants and coffee shops will cater for the National Park. "But people that are going walking are not going to come to a coffee shop in Petersfield – they will have it with them." "The council have got to give something to the townspeople, so that they can use the town for free one day a week. I think it's such a shame – we, as independent traders, are being hit at all ends and sides," she said. The Westwood family business has maintained a proud history based on principles, not profit. Last week The Herald reported East Hampshire District Council had voted to increase charges by between 18 and 33 per cent from April 1, raising around an extra £170,000 a year, which upset Trevor Boyden, from the Association of Petersfield Businesses. But with no option to park on Sundays for less than two hours, some businesses wonders how the new changes will hit the monthly visits of the popular Hampshire Farmers' Market. While filling The Square with wholesome local produce, the traders rely on a regular supply of punters who come from farther afield than Petersfield to purchase goods. Sarah Read, co- ordinator of Hampshire Farmers Market, would not be drawn on the potential effects of changes, due to be introduced on April 1. "We don't know how it is going to affect us," she said. "It doesn't stop people visiting the town on Saturday." "It would help if they charged for an hour on Sunday, however," she added. "We want people to come to the Farmers' Market, to shop locally, buying locally produced food and anything that stops them is not going to make us happy," Market towns such as Petersfield thrive on the lifeblood of unique, independent businesses, who attract custom from far and wide, with customers travelling to the town for something a little different. Yet with Costa Coffee set to open soon in Rams Walk, there are legitimate concerns that Petersfield is becoming filled with chain stores and coffee shops, while the dreaded whited windows of shops forced into closure – such as Your Move on the High Street – point to hard times for the independent trader as fears that the American economy's problems could spark a worldwide recession, grow. In recent times, the Portman Building Society and the Age of Elegance have ceased trading, while car hi fi specialists Road Radio, whose doors opened on Chapel Street in 1974, was a family business forced into closure recently by the retirement of the proprietor.