Free parking is coming to Gloucester every Thursday until Christmas at two city centre sites.
Gloucester Business Improvement District (BID) and Gloucester City Council are funding free parking in both the Kings Walk and Eastgate Shopping Centre car parks, all day, every Thursday in December up to and including Christmas Eve.
The two car parks have over 600 spaces between them, and the free Thursday parking will allow shoppers to not feel rushed and to enjoy the late-night shopping on Thursdays too.
Gloucester BID and Gloucester City Council are encouraging people to shop local this Christmas. There are fantastic independent businesses in the city with great gifts, knowledge and expertise on offer, as well as plenty of fantastic restaurants, bars and cafes to help Christmas shoppers refuel.
Local businesses need your support and trade more than ever this year, they have worked extremely hard to create a safe environment in their shops, which will allow them to open the doors to their customers safely this week.
Shoppers are reminded to wear masks unless they are exempt and to keep two metres from anyone who is not in their household. They are also encouraged to regularly wash their hands and if this is not possible to use hand sanitiser to help keep themselves and their families safe.
Kieron Bates, Chair of Gloucester Business Improvement District, says: ‘ we are finding various ways to try and balance supporting the businesses in the city centre whilst keeping to the very important guidelines – the main idea of the free parking on a Thursday in the two main city centre car parks, is to help spread the time that shoppers can come out and safely shop away from the traditionally busy weekends’
Councillor Dawn Melvin, Cabinet Member for Economic Recovery and Growth at Gloucester City Council, said: “It’s incredible news and I’m thrilled that this initiative is taking place. We need to do everything in our power to get people back into our city centre. Shopping local is absolutely imperative right now.
“Our retailers many of which are small independent businesses have had the most dreadful time since March. Let’s show them how much they mean to us by spending our household Christmas budgets with them. I’m really looking forward to the Thursday late night shopping. I work such long hours and it gives me a chance to buy all my Christmas presents.”
Download your own poster here Free Carparking Poster 4_
