Festive free parking for town centre
Three weekends of free car parking are planned for Newcastle town centre during the festive period.
Town centre car parks will be free all day Saturday and Sunday on 21/22 December, 28/29 December and on 4/5 January.
And the Midway car park opening hours will be extended on Sunday 24 November to coincide with the town centre lights being switched on.
And on other days parking will only be £1 after 1pm – including at night-time.
Stephen Sweeney, Deputy Leader of Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council and Cabinet member for Finance, Town Centres and Growth, said:
The run-up to Christmas is always a busy time in Newcastle town centre with the shops, markets, bars, restaurants and special events.
The Council is committed to promoting the town centre and making it a welcoming place for all ages day and night, so throwing open the car parks is one small part of that.”
Specific events will be promoted nearer the time but as well as the family excitement of the Lights switch-on, confirmed events include specialist markets and a brass band playing in the open air to provide a traditional atmosphere.
As well as surface car parks, the festive free use includes The Midway, which will then close in the New Year as the brand new Castle Car Park opens for use in early January.
With 455 spaces, the spacious, well-lit multi-storey will become the main town centre car park, underpinning the multi-million delivery of homes, a hotel, offices and shops at Ryecoft and York Place.
Proposals are also underway by Capital&Centric to redevelop the Midway car park as housing, the first time such a conversion has been undertaken.