Drivers and businesses in Brixham, Paignton and Torquay have been given an early Christmas present.
Torbay Council has announced a festive car parking offer running from November 28 to January 3. Drivers can pay for one hour and park all day in certain locations.
The aim is to support local businesses by encouraging shoppers to spend more time in the three town centres.
The car parks included are Freshwater, Oxen Cove and the central car park in Brixham, with a maximum stay of three hours; the Victoria Surface Level and Hyde Road temporary car parks in Paignton; and the Lower Union Lane, Union Square and Harbour car parks in Torquay.
In a statement, the council said: “The proposal supports town centre businesses to try and increase footfall into the town centre during the Christmas season and provides an incentive for residents and visitors to spend locally in the three town centres rather than visiting the out of town shopping areas where there is the option of free parking available nearby.”
The council added: “The parking promotion will also encourage shoppers to spend longer in the designated car parks as well as supporting the evening economy for the local restaurants and leisure facilities.”
The council says it considered expanding the promotion to secondary shopping areas away from the town centres, but that was discounted because these areas have on-street limited waiting restrictions or unrestricted parking nearby.
Similar promotions have been running since 2020, and the financial implications are built into each year’s council budget. There is a one-off reserve fund in hand in case the promotion leaves the council out of pocket.
Torbay Announces Low-Cost All-Day Parking Deal