Free parking at one of Sunderland's most famous landmarks could soon end, with the local authority hoping to introduce charges for vehicles using the spaces in the near future.
Following a consultation, Sunderland City Council want to install charges to park at SAFC's Stadium of Light on non-matchdays and event days.
If approved, the new tariffs will be considerably lower than any other city centre car parks - at just 50p per hour, or £3 for a full day.
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A £350 annual permit will also be an option, for those who prefer to pay a lump sum on a yearly basis.
Those wishing to park at the stadium would also be able to pay by using the RingGo app. The app also allows you to pay for additional time when your parking is coming to an end, meaning you won't have to worry about rushing back to your vehicle to top up again.
The charges are being considered to help manage a predicted high demand in parking around the city of Sunderland, in line with the Riverside project which will see Sunderland and the wider city centre revamped.
Councillor Kevin Johnston, Cabinet Member for Dynamic City at Sunderland City Council, said: "As the Riverside Sunderland development takes shape, we can expect to see significantly higher volumes of people visiting our city centre, and we want to ensure that visitors and residents have safe and secure places to park their cars.
"Allowing people to park their cars at the stadium for a small charge on non-matchdays will ease pressure on some of the existing city centre car parks and encourage people to choose active travel and more sustainable options like public transport as we move towards our 2030 Carbon reduction targets."
You can find out more about RingGo and city centre parking in Sunderland, here.
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