Council extends city centre free parking offer

The one-hour free parking offer in the Lichfield Street and Christchurch Art Gallery parking buildings will be extended until the end of June.

The Council has been offering one hour free off-street parking in the city centre since the Lichfield Street Car Park opened.

Christchurch City Council introduced the one-hour free parking offer in November last year when the new Lichfield Street Car Park opened. It was introduced on a trial basis as a way of encouraging people to come back into the city centre.

The trial was due to end this month, but today the Council decided to extend the offer at the Lichfield Street and Art Gallery car parks until the end of June.

Between now and then it will consult on whether the initiative should continue beyond that date.

A working group consisting of Councillors Jamie Gough, Pauline Cotter and Deon Swiggs will also work with Council staff on a report about the future of the initiative for the Council to consider as part of its Long Term Plan deliberations.

Since the one-hour free parking initiative began, the Council has provided more than 22,500 hours of free parking in the Lichfield Street Car Park and the Art Gallery Car Park buildings.

More than 12,500 drivers have also received free parking at the Council-owned Worcester Street, New Regent Street, Rolleston Avenue and the former Aldersgate car parks. The one-hour free offer at those carparks will end this month. 

Council staff have been regularly monitoring the amount of parking spaces available for central city visitors. The most recent survey shows there is plenty of parking in the central city.