EDDC Christmas parking and frozen charges next year

East Devon District Council is supporting local shops over Christmas with a range of special car park deals for motorists, including a chance to win a ‘Golden Ticket’ offering three months’ free parking.

This is on top of a decision by EDDC’s Cabinet last week to freeze the basic hourly pay and display parking charges for the fourth consecutive year.

Here are EDDC’s Christmas 2013 Parking Offers in full:

All Pay and Display car parks, Saturday 7 December 2013

This is “Small Business Saturday” and customers are being encouraged to park in any East Devon car park with a heavily discounted “all day” (from 10 am) offer on Saturday 7 December 2013 for a maximum daily charge of just £2. Their pay and display ticket will then also be valid for re-use (if needed) in any other East Devon pay and display car park for the remainder of that day.

Low Tariff Car Parks, Saturday 7 December 2013

The maximum daily charge in EDDC’s low tariff car parks is already only £1.50, so the Council has agreed a proportionate reduction which means the maximum daily charge on Small Business Saturday will be just £1 in Canaan Way Car Park in Ottery St Mary, Church Street car Park in Sidford, Underhill Car Park in Lympstone and Dolphin Street Car Park in Colyton. These tickets won’t be valid in any other car park.

Golden Tickets

During the lead-up to Christmas, staff will be planting a total of 24 ‘Golden Tickets’ in some of the pay and display machines in EDDC-operated car parks.

Here, 24 lucky pay and display customers will receive a special ‘Golden’ ticket that they must retain after use. These golden tickets will be checked by the Council and can then be exchanged for a special parking permit entitling the winners to park one nominated vehicle without payment (subject to terms and conditions) in any East Devon pay and display car park during the period 1 January 2014 to 31 March 2014.

Sidmouth

Finally, Sidmouth shoppers might like to know that, if they feel up for a bit of gentle festive exercise, there is ample free parking available at Knowle on every Saturday and Sunday in the run-up to Christmas, with the added benefit of a pleasant stroll into town through Knowle Gardens.

Commenting on the parking offers, Councillor Iain Chubb, EDDC’s Cabinet Member for Environment, said: “We know that increasingly our local businesses are having to compete with both online and out-of-town shopping alternatives – the latter usually offering ample free parking. Unfortunately our inland and coastal towns were not and they have evolved into what they are today."

"They remain popular with visitors but unfortunately parking availability is not ample. The use of reasonable charges for parking (which also might encourage visitors to use alternative means of transport) is a well-established way of managing this situation."

“The Council understands and sympathises with the needs of our local business communities. East Devon’s Chambers of Commerce asked us to offer free of charge parking in our town centre car parks in the run-up to Christmas, but we have instead come up with a compromise. We are however proud to say that in these challenging financial times we have already made a commitment not to increase our basic hourly pay and display parking charges for the fourth consecutive year”.