Hamilton commuters are in for a rude shock this month with the closure of a section of Elliott Street car park and the banning of long-term stays at the City Hall car park.

From Monday, City Hall car park will be totally restricted to three-hour parking.

Sections of the car park are already limited to short stays.

A notice in Tuesday?s said the move would free up the area for shoppers and those with brief appointments.

The notice said that with the completion of the fourth floor of Bull?s Head Car Park, there was ample space for all-day parking.

Yesterday shopper Carol Richardson told : ?It isn?t really necessary. I never have a problem finding a spot.?

And a taxi driver, who refused to give his name, said: ?Three hours is kind of short, you might have something where you need a longer period of time.?

However Chamber of Commerce retail division chairman Lawrence Trimingham welcomed the move as creating more space in the heart of the shopping district, thereby boosting business for retailers.

He said it would cut down on people driving around looking for a spot.

Asked how commuters would take it, he said: ?I think they will understand shoppers need to be closer to the stores.?

From today, 34 car bays in Elliott Street will be closed for 18 months to allow access to construction work on a warehouse expansion at Gosling Brothers Ltd.

The parking bays will be returned to public use in March, 2006.

Other changes planned by the Corporation include the demolition of the Par-la-Ville park toilets on Queen Street on Sunday to make way for a new entrance.

The toilets will be closed from today with the public advised there are seven other locations within the City including Albuoy?s Point.

Asked what the new gate would look like Mayor Lawson Mapp said: ?I haven?t seen them, but I expect they will look lovely.?

The Corporation is also making Union Street between Angle Street and North Street one-way in a northerly direction from Monday after residents complained it was too narrow, particularly with the amount of street parking that was typical in the area.