Free festive parking coming to Bolton
9:01am Wednesday 10th October 2012 in News
FREE parking will be launched at four of Bolton’s multi-storey car parks this Christmas in a bid to bring shoppers back and help town centre businesses.
The scheme, which has yet to get official council approval, will provide free parking in four car parks in the run-up to Christmas and into the New Year.
If the scheme is a success, the council will consider bringing in free parking when major events are held in the town centre.
Bolton Council is proposing free parking all weekend and on weekdays after 3pm from Thursday, November 1, to Sunday, January 27, at the car parks in Bow Street, Deane Road, Topp Way and the Octagon.
The plan is an extension of last year’s scheme, when there was free parking on Thursday evenings and Sundays during the festive period up to the beginning of January.
A decision will be made on Monday by Bolton Council’s cabinet and, if approved, the scheme will be implemented by the council’s partners, NCP which operates Deane Road, Topp Way and the Octagon and APCOA, which manages Bow Street.
There will be about 2,700 free spaces on offer to shoppers under the plan and the council is confident the scheme will boost High Street trade including both larger retailers as well as independent stores.
Leader of Bolton Council, Cllr Cliff Morris, said: “We want to support our town centre traders and free parking is something a lot of retailers have been asking us to bring in.
“Our parking prices are competitive with neighbouring authorities, but the economic downturn has had an impact on our town centre, like every town across the country, and we know that times are tough.
“Introducing free parking in the run-up to Christmas will tie in well with late night shopping and the festive programme of entertainment and events that we are organising.
“We’re looking forward to continuing the free parking into the New Year to help at a time when people are usually looking to save a few pounds.
“If the free parking is approved and implemented we will assess the benefits of it and look at whether to continue it in future months for special events.”
Keith Davies, the council’s director of development and regeneration, said the proposal had been welcomed by town centre retailers when he met them to discuss the plan. He said: “One described it as a ‘cracking’ move. They saw it as a really helpful incentive by the council to support them through the pre and post-Christmas trading period.
“What we have got is a campaign with retailers to encourage people to shop in Bolton town centre for Christmas and free car parking is one component of that.
“While the council would be providing the free car parking there will be incentives and offers that the retailers will be offering.”
Comments(10)
tommy
says...
9:49am Wed 10 Oct 12
oftbewildered2 wrote:Haha, so so true.
one minute they are saying it is not the parking chaarges which keep people away - and the next they are proposing free parking to encourage Christmas shoppers. All we need is shops and perhaps the whole plan will work
However, to be fair to Bolton, Trafford Centre at Christmas is an absolute nightmare. I avoid it like the plague. If I need any last minute bits and bats, Bolton will definitely be the port of call.
William2701
says...
10:05am Wed 10 Oct 12
oftbewildered2
says...
11:00am Wed 10 Oct 12
tommy wrote:agree
oftbewildered2 wrote:Haha, so so true.
one minute they are saying it is not the parking chaarges which keep people away - and the next they are proposing free parking to encourage Christmas shoppers. All we need is shops and perhaps the whole plan will work
However, to be fair to Bolton, Trafford Centre at Christmas is an absolute nightmare. I avoid it like the plague. If I need any last minute bits and bats, Bolton will definitely be the port of call.
Rememberscarborough
says...
12:31pm Wed 10 Oct 12
cliff4treasurer
says...
1:04pm Wed 10 Oct 12
It's the traffic wardens that are yours, the town centre is (was) ours.
jjohnny
says...
2:53pm Wed 10 Oct 12
wild one
says...
3:09pm Wed 10 Oct 12
Hulton Park
says...
7:36pm Wed 10 Oct 12
Manchester tried to bully drivers out of their cars in the 1970s. It worked - they went elsewhere.
People who have a choice will only use public transport if it is clean, reliable and reasonably priced. At the moment, Bolton's still falls down on all three criteria. We have a more disjointed system than we did under the old Corporation - despite now paying for a whole quango (TfGM) that is supposed to promote cohesion, but does nothing - NOTHING - for us in this borough.
BWFC71
says...
9:05am Thu 11 Oct 12
Then llook at councillors in both Bury and Wigan - fighting for decent public transport and winning the trust and funding from the TfGM that just shows how much Bolton councillors care about its town - they are more concerned how much their "wages" will increase by and how many jobs they have to lose to make sure they get their increase!!!
This is a bit late and far too little - what shops, as other posters have stated and more and more empty units popping up around the town. La Tasca closed, Tiggis (or what replaced it) closed, Burtons closed, Santanders going to be closing its 2 branches and moving into RBS branch as they now it, Beale's on the verge of quitting the town and will probably be closed after the New Year, Sweetens, gone, Market Hall gone and replaced by a white elephant with empty units, Victoria square has empty units, bars on Bradshawgate, and Churchgate are closing (that is in one sense a good thing!!!).
Car parks not close enough to the shops - also if anyone hasn't noticed the car parks mentioned have a free bus service monday to saturday until 5pm that connects the car parks to teh various parts of town, but nothing after 5 - so how will people will difficulties get around?
All pathetic attempt to show that they are trying, when in factthey have FAILED the town. Also do not forget that these are the councillors who promised, and brought back, weeklt bin collections and are now fearing the worst by going back to fortnightly collections!!! (just so they can use the money saved to give themselves a pay-rise!)
oftbewildered2 says...
9:27am Wed 10 Oct 12