Christmas shoppers can take advantage of free parking around North Tyneside this holiday season.
There will be free all day parking on the first four Saturdays in December (2, 9, 16 and 23) at Front Street, Tynemouth and at selected sites throughout Whitley Bay.
And the council has also secured free parking at the Beacon Centre car park in North Shields during the whole of December, thanks to support from shopping centre owner New River Retail, to complement the free parking already available at the Forum car park in Wallsend.
This is in addition to the approximately 1,700 free spaces the authority provides in its car parks all year round.
The initiative aims to support local traders and, in turn, North Tyneside’s economy by encouraging people to visit the borough’s town centres and busy village centre for their Christmas shopping.
Elected Mayor of North Tyneside Norma Redfearn said: “I am delighted that we are able to offer free parking in these areas each Saturday next month before Christmas.
“In the run-up to Christmas, the last thing you want to be worrying about is where you can park while you do your shopping, so this will be one less thing to think about for our residents at this busy time of year.
“We’ll also see huge benefits for businesses in the area, with increased footfall and more people buying their gifts locally.”
In Whitley Bay parking charges will be suspended on Beach Avenue, Brook Street, Clifton Terrace, Coquet Avenue, Duchess Street, Duke Street, Fern Avenue, Holly Avenue, Laburnum Avenue, Jesmond Terrace, Marine Gardens, North Parade, Ocean View, Oxford Street, Park Avenue, Park Parade, Roxburgh Terrace, Station Road and Victoria Terrace.
Ticket machines will either be securely covered or shutdown when charges are not applicable. In Front Street, Tynemouth, the two-hour limit will remain to encourage a healthy turnover of visitors.
ENDS
