Trafford Council-owned car parks are to be free to use after 3pm this winter.
A motion was approved at a council meeting last night confirming that all Council-owned car parks will be free to park in after 3pm from November 18th until January 17th.
The policy covers car parks on Oakfield Road, Regent Road, Balmoral Road, Cecil Road, Victoria Road and Brown Street.
The news comes just days after we reported how the recent hike in parking charges has led to a “devastating” drop-off in sales in Hale village.
Parking charges across Altrincham and the whole of Trafford went up by 250% overnight in April, with cash-strapped Trafford Council blaming a widening funding gap and a drop in money it received from the government.
The changes meant that the cost of a half-hour stay at the car parks on Victoria Road, Cecil Road and Brown Street went up from 20p to 70p.
A two-hour stay jumped from 50p to £1.50, three hours from £1 to £2.50, and four hours from £2 to £3.50. All-day parking now costs £7, up from £4.
On-street parking was also affected, with 30-minute stays rising from 20p to 50p and two-hour stays shooting up from 50p to £1.50.
The Free After Three policy does not see to cover on-street parking, however.
