Newcastle to be hit with parking charges

Newcastle to be hit with parking charges

15 February 2023

PARKING charges could be introduced in Newcastle as part of a radical plan by Newry, Mourne and Down Council as early as April next year.

The resort’s Donard Park,  Downs Road and Castle Park  — which have a combined total of 651 spaces — feature heavily in a list of parking areas where locals and visitors could soon have to pay to park.

Currently, parking charges are in place at local authority-owned car parks in Downpatrick and Ballynahinch but it’s free to park in Newcastle, Castlewellan’s Upper Square and the Downpatrick Street car park in Saintfield. 

That looks set to change with the local authority intent on addressing the issue of all-day parkers eating up valuable town centre spaces which could be used by shoppers and visitors, creating additional footfall and generating more income for businesses

The current number of spaces where it is free to park in Newcastle, Castlewellan and Saintfield is 773.

A major review of the district’s car parking provision was carried out several years ago and a detailed list of where charges could be introduced has now been drawn up with a new charging regime originally pencilled in to be in place by the start of last November.

Council officials say they recognise the need to regularise parking charges as it is inequitable to charge people to park in some towns and not others and that they could face a potential legal challenge if the issue is not addressed.

In addition, the local authority has to create an income stream to generate funds to maintain all the car parks across the district that it is responsible for.

A special working group has been set up to examine the charging issue and is currently working alongside senior officials from the Department for Infrastructure and other local authorities.

A final decision on the way forward is expected soon, but any formal proposal to introduce parking charges at local authority-owned car parks in Newcastle, Castlewellan and Saintfield is not expected until after the local government elections in May.

That means that it will be the new council that will make the decision on the parking charge issue.

A paper on introducing charging in the three towns was tabled at Monday night’s meeting of the local authority’s Enterprise, Regeneration and Tourism Committee, but there was no debate as the item was only listed for “noting”.

At this stage, there has been no formal discussion on what tariffs or time restrictions will operate if, as widely expected, charging is introduced in the three local towns where it is currently free to park.

In a briefing paper drawn up for councillors, it’s revealed that the sites earmarked for charges to be introduced and to be re-examined with the focus on looking at what is being described as the “financial viability” of each one as occupancy levels may have changed since the initial survey was carried out pre-Covid.

Council officials say they are also conscious that the introduction of parking charges could force people to park in residential areas, confirming that measures are under consideration to mitigate against this.

A number of councillors say they recognise the need to regularise the car parking issue and that the current situation of charging in some towns and not in others has to be addressed.

In addition, they say given the strain on council finances, an income stream has to be generated to to pay for the maintenance of the car parks.

“We have to do something,” said one councillor. “Parking charges are unpalatable to some but we can’t have a situation in our area where people are charged to park in some areas and not in others. We have to be seen to be fair and that is what we have to do.”