Free parking scheme

Thursday 23 October

in run up to Christmas

To encourage residents to shop locally and to help boost local trading, Swale Borough Council is offering free parking to shoppers in the run up to Christmas.

The Christmas Parking scheme will launch with free all day parking at every Swale Borough Council car park on Saturday 6 December.

Following that, its ‘free after two’ scheme will run from Monday 8 December until Wednesday 24 December at all council car parks meaning that after 2pm car parking is free.

In addition, there will also be free all day parking at all council car parks on all three Sundays in December before Christmas: namely the 7, 14 and 21 December.

Last year the council introduced free parking after 2pm prior to Christmas and this year has decided to launch the scheme in support of Small Business Saturday, to further encourage residents to think about shopping locally and supporting local traders.

Cllr David Simmons, Swale Cabinet Member for The Environment and Rural Affairs said: ‘Having offered residents a similar scheme last year, we have no doubt the ‘free after two’ parking in the run up to Christmas helps support local businesses, boosts the local economy and encourages residents to buy locally. After 2pm is often seen as a quieter period for town centres so we hope that this will help boost trading as well as support any special events being held across the Borough in preparation for the seasonal period.’

Free parking signage will be placed in car parks nearer to the time. These temporary concessions apply to off street parking within council car parks. ‘On street’ parking restrictions will continue to be enforced.

Swale Borough Council is also trialling a new paying by phone parking scheme in busy car park locations. This has been running for two weeks and so far has proved very popular with residents. Over the course of the next few Fridays, Council environment wardens will be on hand in Faversham and Sittingbourne locations demonstrating the new scheme.