BUSINESSES in a North Yorkshire town have received a boost with the installation of parking sensors on the busy high street in a bid to help the local economy.

North Yorkshire County Council is trialling the parking sensors on Northallerton high street to monitor parking habits, with the hope that this could be rolled out across the county.

North Yorkshire County Council’s executive member for business and economic development, Cllr Derek Bastiman, said: “We are excited to trial this innovative scheme in Northallerton which supports our ambition of using technology to improve the lives and livelihoods of residents, businesses and visitors.

“The sensors are there to detect which parking bays are occupied at any particular time, parking patterns, how long people park for and busy or quiet times of the day."

The data from the trial will help the project and partners inform decisions about the high street, including business rates, with the potential to help business owners decide when to open their premises in line with busy periods.

The county council received funding from the York and North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership for projects to better connect those living and working in North Yorkshire. It has already supported the roll-out of public wi-fi and air quality sensors.