Council chiefs defends lack of 'free after three' parking at new Riverside car park in Sunderland

Parking is free Monday to Friday between 3pm and midnight at around 1,500 bays in other venues across the city centre. But the offer is not available at the new car park on Farringdon Row.

The 657-bay car park charges 90p per hour after 6pm, £1.50 per hour 8am-6pm, or £7 per day with “Free after 3” not available.

Opposition Liberal Democrat councillors say the pricing “lacks common sense” and want the free parking scheme extended to the Riverside.

Leader of Sunderland’s Lib Dems, Cllr Paul Edgeworth, said: “As ever, Sunderland Council bosses just don’t seem to have any common sense.

“Unless they reduce parking prices and include it in the ‘free after 3’ scheme then the millions of pounds spent building this new car park might as well have been poured down the drain as no one will use it.

“The Riverside car park is already further away from many city centre shops and restaurants than the council’s existing car parks at St Mary’s or the Sunniside car park next to the cinema.

“When you add in the fact that it isn’t cheaper to park there and the extra disincentive that you can’t park in this new car park after 3pm for free like you can everywhere else, it doesn’t take a genius to realise that people just won’t use it.

“Lib Dem councillors will be campaigning to get the ‘Free After 3’ scheme to apply to this new car park as soon as possible so that more people can be encouraged to use our restaurants, pubs and shops in the evening, keeping our city centre alive and thriving.”

But Cllr Kevin Johnston, council cabinet member for Dynamic City, said: “The Monday to Friday Free After 3pm parking offer was introduced to selected council-owned city centre parking spaces as a reaction to the Covid pandemic in 2020, in order to help boost businesses in the retail core that had suffered due to low footfall.

“Post-covid we will once again review our charging policy annually.

“The new Riverside multi-storey car park has been created specifically as a requirement of the Riverside Sunderland Masterplan and will provide parking for those people working and living in Riverside Sunderland, as well as creating additional capacity for parking in the city centre.”

Riverside Car Park has 657 spaces over 11 levels with 49 accessible spaces and up to 115 EV spaces, motorcycle and cycle storage. It has an accessible toilet and a changing place.

The car park is part of the Riverside development project, with 10,000 new jobs are set to be created, 1,000 new homes built and a range of new leisure developments including Culture House – a new interactive, immersive library.

On the horizon too is Sheepfolds Stables, a food and drink venue on the edge of Stadium Park. A new Eye Hospital, replacing Sunderland Eye Infirmary, is also set to be built.

The council hopes the additional spaces will help to meet demand for parking as the development progresses.