Drivers will soon be able to park free at these times in these Sunderland city centre car parks

With shops, cafes, restaurants and pubs forced to close for months, worries over the remaining threat of coronavirus and social-distancing measures in place have all taken there toll on businesses in the city.

Now, with non-essential shops open and pubs and restaurants set to reopen from July 4, city leaders are bringing in a range of measures to help businesses recover.

From August, Sunderland City Council plans to introduce three new parking offers to support the city’s businesses, encourage visitors to the city centre and boost the local economy.

The existing Free After Three offer, which allows drivers to park in the city centre for free after 3pm on Thursdays, will be extended Monday – Friday as of 1 August.

A new £3.50 daily rate is set to be introduced at the Civic Centre car park and a £5 daily rate will apply across Sunniside car park, Gorse Road, Tatham Street, Nile Street, Charles Street and West Wear Street.

It is hoped that these new daily rates will allow visitors to stay longer without needing to return to their vehicles by a set time.

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The new daily rates will be introduced in addition to the existing hourly tariffs, and customers will be able to use cash at the pay and display machines or use the Phone and Pay facility in each of these locations.

A monthly parking permit option will also soon be available, offering more flexibility.

Councillor Michael Mordey, Deputy Leader of Sunderland City Council and Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport, said: “Some city centre businesses have suffered during the Covid-19 lockdown, and we want to give them a boost by making it easier for customers to visit.

“I hope that these new parking offers will encourage more Sunderland residents into our city centre for shopping and leisure as we see lockdown restrictions begin to ease and shops and other businesses opening their doors once again.”

Each of the new offers will run for an initial 12-month period and will be monitored and reviewed based on their effectiveness.

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