Scrapping free evening parking in Newcastle city centre would be “absurdly destructive”, the boss of a local arts venue has claimed.
Newcastle City Council is consulting on plans to extend all parking charges in the core city centre to 10pm every night – including putting an end to the Alive After Five offer in the Eldon Square, Eldon Garden, Dean Street, Oxford Street, and Grainger Town multi-storey car parks. City bosses say that the changes are designed to “manage and respond to changing demand” for spaces, as well as being part of a drive to discourage car journeys and cut down on air pollution.
But Mike Tilley, director of the Newcastle Arts Centre on Westgate Road, fears that the major change could be disastrous for businesses that rely on evening trade – particularly the city centre’s collection of cultural and creative institutions. Mr Tilley warned that Alive After Five, which was launched in 2010 in a bid to bring in more visitors of an evening, had become “a vital support for evening shopping, entertainment and hospitality” and that ending the free parking offer could deter people from coming to see a show or exhibition.
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He said: "Newcastle city should be welcoming people and trade to this regional centre not creating barriers to access and strangling existing business which is its lifeblood. The widely acknowledged business success of the 'Alive After Five' off-peak free parking scheme is to be scrapped at the cost of a loss of trade that will far exceed the forecast income from parking charges.
"This short-sighted restriction comes at a time when the North of Tyne Authority is planning a Creative and Cultural Zone in central Newcastle, a welcome move to promote the wealth of creative energy that has made this city famous, such a pity that artists, performers, makers, and visitors will find their visit both time and cash limited and plagued by the fear of a fine if they stay to see a show.”
He has branded the plans "an absurdly destructive exercise" and "little more than an ill-considered tax on the life and economy of the city centre".
All on-street car parking spaces in the city centre would also be subject to charges until 10pm under the council’s plans. The Quayside and Manors multi-storeys, both also part of Alive After Five, would instead be free after 6pm under the changes, while 6pm will also remain the cut-off time for fees at the Claremont Road car park near the Royal Victoria Infirmary.
A £3 all-day rate on Sundays would also be axed in the city centre, with drivers having to pay the standard weekday rates instead. Full details of the scheme can be found at letstalknewcastle.co.uk, where city residents have until April 13 to make comments.
When the proposals first came to light last November, city centre business chief Stephen Patterson said they were “not designed to reduce support for businesses, quite the contrary, this is about delivering a better experience and supporting the retail and business community to create the right environment for long-term growth”. The chief executive of city centre business improvement district company NE1 Ltd backed the council’s move to “refocus its efforts on reducing city centre pollution”.
Further plans to transform the area include pedestrianising the entirety of Grey Street and Blackett Street, while new Clean Air Zone tolls on high-polluting vehicles are due to come into force this summer. A Newcastle City Council spokesperson said: “We are currently consulting on proposals for the introduction of evening and Sunday charges in council-run car parks.
"The proposals are to help us manage and respond to changing demand for car parking in the city centre. This consultation closes on 13 April. Any objections will be considered before a final decision is made.”
