After a successful campaign on the Erskine Park link road, the Penrith Valley Chamber of Commerce has added parking to its agenda.

Chamber president Peter McGhee said it had become increasingly difficult and had been a major

matter for some time.

Mr McGhee said the chamber needed to work with the council to get the best solution and ensure the council looked at how businesses could maintain their viability.

Penrith City Centre Association city centre manager Gladys Reed compiled a history of the chamber when she was its chief executive.

``Business owners have been expressing that concern since 1927,'' she said.

``Today it's the biggest issue.''

She said most businesses would say that a half-hour limit on

sections of High Street was not enough.

Anthony Ferguson, manager at Tony Ferguson's Terry White Chemist, said: ``Parking has been a problem in High Street and the whole Penrith area for many years but nothing seems to happen.

``The population keeps growing and the number of cars increases but the Government won't build more high-rise parking facilities.

``Too many staff are using the

customer parking and business is suffering, big time.''

Mr McGhee said the decked commuter car park to be built north of Penrith station probably would not alleviate the problem in the CBD.

A spokesman said Penrith Council had consulted the business community on parking problems and ``was keen to continue to work

closely with businesses to improve parking in the CBD for all stakeholders, including business owners, workers, shoppers and visitors, in a way that gives benefits for all users and the quite different parking needs they require''.

The council has created temporary car parks around the CBD.

Its City Centre Strategy Vision of 2006 aimed to address parking problems through a range of measures, including decked parking in strategic spots and alternative public transport such as a shuttle bus in and around the

city centre.