Peterborough Council give green light for free parking in city centre

The first day of free parking will be Monday, August 3, with the scheme in place in four car parks – Bishops Road, Car Haven, Riverside and Pleasure Fair Meadow.

People will be able to park for free in these car parks after 3pm on weekdays.

The scheme will run until March 31 2028.

The project was in the manifesto of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Mayor Paul Bristow - and £891,667 of funding has been given to the city council by the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority to make the idea a reality.

While councillors agreed the scheme, a number of concerns were raised about the impact free parking could have at the cabinet meeting held on Tuesday (July 21).

Cllr Katy Cole, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, asked for assurances on the future of bus routes – especially those serving rural areas of Peterborough.

There were also concerns raised about the impact on the environment, with cllr Zammer Ali, Cabinet Member for Communities and Public Safety, asking: “How will it impact the environment, as less people are going to be using buses and other forms of transport while they can use free car parks?”

Adrian Chapman, the council’s Director of Place and Economy, replied: “The honest answer is we don't really know yet. If the scheme is successful, you are right, people may choose to revert to cars rather than public transport, walking or cycling.

“One of the things we have done is develop a set of key performance indicators that will measure the impact of the scheme, not just in terms of the positive things the scheme may bring, i.e increased footfall in the city centre which it is hoped it will attract, longer dwell time in the city because people won't be rushing back to drive out when their car parking ticket runs out, but we will also try and capture the, perhaps less positive aspects that may emerge, including modal shift - the way people travel into and out of the city, and we'll be able to calculate the effects on the climate and other aspect - bus patronage, for example. We wouldn't want to see our bus companies struggle.”

Mr Chapman also said the council would continue to invest in active travel schemes.

The impact of the Queensgate Roundabout works was also raised by council leader cllr Shabina Qayyum, who suggested that because of extra traffic around the roadworks, people may still choose to walk or cycle into the city centre.

Cllr Qayyum ended by saying: “A lot of thoughts around the room have balanced between the idea of a decision made with good intention by the Mayor, or political gimmick. We will leave the public to decide that.”

Following the meeting, Mr Bristow said: “Free parking is happening this summer, and it's part of my work to regenerate and revive our city centre.

"The city centre needs a lift, and increased footfall, a busier high street and more people choosing to come into the city for an evening out will be great for local businesses and great for the local economy.”