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.
