Festive free parking for town centre
Residents, shoppers and visitors can enjoy three weekends of free parking in Newcastle town centre during the busy festive period.
Town centre car parks operated by Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council – including the Midway which closes in early 2025 to make way for the new Castle car park – are free to use all day Saturday and Sunday on 21 and 22 December, 28 and 29 December followed by 4 and 5 January.
The free parking is available in addition to the council’s popular £1 after 1pm charge – covering motorists until 8am the following morning – which runs from Monday to Saturday throughout the year.
Cllr. 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 period in Newcastle town centre as we welcome an extra influx of people who come to do their shopping, attend special events, visit the market or enjoy a festive night out in our many fantastic bars and restaurants.
One of the council’s priorities is to make the town centre a vibrant and welcoming place for everyone, day and night, so providing free and low cost parking is one small gesture towards achieving that goal. We also extended free parking at the Midway last month, by keeping the facility open for longer, to make things easier for families attending the town’s popular Christmas lights switch-on.”
The 455-space Castle car park, which will become the primary town centre car park, supports the council’s multi-million delivery of homes, a hotel, offices and shops at the former Ryecroft and York Place thanks to funding from the Newcastle Town Deal. Plans are also underway by Capital&Centric to remodel the Midway as housing.
More information about the council’s town centre car parks, including their location, is available on the council’s website.