The ‘Free after Three’ parking program in Sunderland will be reduced, and hourly parking fees will rise.
The modifications were approved this week by the ruling cabinet of Sunderland City Council as part of a comprehensive assessment of parking services and mobile traffic enforcement.
Parking is free in accordance with the Free after Three program from 3 PM until 12 AM.
The experiment will continue in five smaller surface parking lots, but under the updated proposals, car parks like St. Mary’s and Sunniside, which have a combined 1,133 spaces, won’t be free at any time.
Gorse Road in Ashbrooke, Charles Street, West Wear Street, Tatham Street, and Nile Street are among the five locations that are located on the outskirts of the city center.
With the last review occurring five years ago, there will also be a 10p hourly cost hike for all parking places in the city.
City officials have previously emphasized that overnight parking will continue to be free between the hours of 6 p.m. and 8 a.m. at seven parking lots throughout the city.
The council also stated that the proposed adjustments are being made because Free after Three is not encouraging more people to shop in city centers and that it wants more people to avoid driving in order to minimize Sunderland’s carbon footprint.
Sunderland City Council’s ruling cabinet approved overwhelmingly on September 7, 2023, to enact the amendments beginning in January 2024.
Councillor Kevin Johnston, Dynamic City cabinet member, presented a report on parking service adjustments at City Hall.
Parking fees, councillors were told, “help reduce congestion and support the shift toward sustainable and active travel.”
“The council extended Free after Three during 2021 to provide short-term support for businesses and social distancing during the pandemic,” Cllr Johnston stated.
“It is proposed that parking charges be reinstated at St Mary’s, Sunniside, and Broughton Street car parks, as well as on-street pay and display locations in the city center.”
“This would bring charging rates in line with those of the city’s private operators.”
“It is proposed to keep the Free after Three scheme in five car parks on the outskirts of the city center, which are within a 10-minute walk of the core center and have 260 parking spaces.”
“This will provide a balanced approach to achieving sustainable traffic objectives while also supporting the city center economy.”
“Parking fees have not been reviewed since 2018, and it is proposed to raise them by 10p per hour at all locations to encourage more active travel and public transportation.”
“It is also proposed to impose a £3 charge on Sundays and Bank Holidays at all city center surface car parks; the £3 charge was designed to be roughly in line with existing public transportation costs in order to provide a balanced approach.”
“It is also proposed that on-street parking charges be extended from Monday to Saturday to all days, discouraging excessive parking in the core city center on Sunday.”
Sunderland City Council’s Conservative and Liberal Democrat opposition groups have previously criticized the parking ideas, with the Lib Dems claiming the revisions might be “another nail in the coffin” for the city center.
Councillor Paul Edgeworth, chairman of the council’s main Liberal Democrat opposition party, spoke during this week’s cabinet meeting and encouraged city authorities to reconsider the ideas.
According to the Lib Dem councillor, the Labour leaders of the council could also “pause” the measures to allow for engagement with people and independent companies.
“We have to be more competitive because Newcastle and Durham have more shops than us, and the Metrocentre has free parking,” Cllr Edgeworth told the meeting.
“Despite what the report says, I believe this sends the wrong message at a time when residents, particularly independent businesses, are struggling.” This is the absolute last thing they require.
“I think you should pause this and go do some more consultation with residents and really speak to those independent businesses, as many of them are telling us they don’t want this to go ahead.”
According to a cabinet report, the measures are intended to “actively encourage a modal shift away from the use of private cars toward more sustainable modes of transportation, without harming regeneration and the city’s economic activity.”
“Research on the current Free after Three offer in the city centre demonstrates that there is no data to support the view that people are visiting the city centre at 3pm or later to take advantage of business and leisure facilities,” it adds.
“According to the research, the majority of customers taking advantage of this offer are those who arrive earlier in the day and use the reduced parking charges from 3pm as part of their commute or would be visiting the city center anyway.”
In January 2024, new parking proposals are likely to be introduced.
The council has also guaranteed that fees for homeowners’ permits and company permits on Wearside would not be raised.
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