Burnley Council leader announces ‘Free after 3’ town centre parking trial

The 'Free after 3' pilot will start on February 20th and operate from Monday to Saturday – Sunday parking is free all day – and will run for three months in town centre pay and display car parks.

At last night’s meeting of the Full Council, Coun. Townsend said: “As part of our plan for recovery we are trialling free parking after 3pm in the town centre.

"We hope that this will support local businesses by tempting back shoppers who have lost confidence in coming to town for a coffee or a bit of shopping due to the risks from the pandemic.

“We need to support Burnley to bounce back. This trial is aimed at a quieter part of the day and should give a variety of businesses, including food and retail, a boost.

"The aim is to give a little incentive to shoppers to come to town and shop local and help them gain their consumer confidence back."

Coun. Sue Graham, Executive member for resources said that the pilot could be attractive to families.

“We’d love to see parents or grandparents coming to town for a bite to eat and a little shopping after picking up the kids from school. It will also hopefully make those last few hours of the day a more productive time for our local businesses.

"We are sure the pilot will be as well received by town centre businesses as it was by councillors of all parties at the council meeting on the December 16th.

"The pilot starts at the end of half term, when the evenings will be a little lighter and the weather starts to improve.”