Council announces free Christmas parking in Scarborough and Whitby town centres

North Yorkshire Council has announced that it will be providing free parking in its town centre car parks in Scarborough and Whitby in the run-up to Christmas.

The former Scarborough Council had a tradition of providing free parking ahead of Christmas in the council’s off-street car parks since 1998.

However, in past years, the announcement has been made in mid-November.

Last year the free parking was effective on selected days from December 1 onwards.

Free car parking will be available on Sunday, December 17 between 11am and 4pm and Thursday, December 21 from 3pm.

The free parking will be available at the following locations:

In Scarborough: Castle Road, Falconers Road, Friar’s Way, North Terrace, St Nicholas Parade, St Thomas Street, Victoria Road, Westwood and William Street.

In Whitby: Church Street, Cliff Street, Marina Back, Marina Front, Endeavour Wharf and St Hilda’s Terrace.

Residents and local business owners had raised concerns that this year free parking might not be provided and would negatively affect high street businesses.

The announcement was made after the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) contacted North Yorkshire Council to ask whether free parking would be available this year.

North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for highways and transportation, Cllr Keane Duncan, said: “Our Scarborough and Whitby car parks are well-used throughout the year and in the run-up to Christmas are popular with both residents and visitors.”

Speaking to the LDRS, he added: “With that in mind, we are offering free car parking in both locations on Sunday, December 17, and again on Thursday, December 21.

"Notices will be in place informing people of this step.

“As part of a new parking policy for North Yorkshire Council, we will be engaging with town councils and Business Improvement Districts in the new year to gauge whether free parking initiatives are something they would wish to support in the future.”