New car park in Northumberland town to be free for first hour

A new 134-space car park in Amble will be free for the first hour once redevelopment work finishes.
The Turner Street car park redevelopment site in Amble. Picture: The AmblerThe Turner Street car park redevelopment site in Amble. Picture: The Ambler
The Turner Street car park redevelopment site in Amble. Picture: The Ambler

Original plans for the Turner Street car park had initially included a parking charge in order to compensate for the nearly £2m price tag for the development.

However, in February, Northumberland County Council leader Glen Sanderson announced that the authority would not impose charges in their town centre car parks.

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He said: “We understand why Amble is so keen and that is why we have done it [car park].

The number of parking spaces will be increased from 49 to 134, with electric charging points also to be added. Picture: The AmblerThe number of parking spaces will be increased from 49 to 134, with electric charging points also to be added. Picture: The Ambler
The number of parking spaces will be increased from 49 to 134, with electric charging points also to be added. Picture: The Ambler

"In terms of tariffs, we want local people to be able to pop into town without having to pay for car parking." .

Calls for a new car park have grown in recent years as Amble’s tourism industry has expanded, with more visitors visiting the seaside town every year.

He added: “We know the visitor economy is very important to Northumberland, and it’s important that people can get their cars parked at a reasonable price.

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"We think this will help the Amble tourism offer significantly by having a car park. And we hope that businesses thrive from it.”

Jeff Watson, councillor for Amble West and Walkworth, has been a keen proponent of the development, citing the benefits of the new car park.

He said: “We just think that the residents of Amble deserve a bit of consideration and that is why we wanted to give them that first hour free.

"I can’t see anything else but benefit for local businesses, the town, on a good summer’s day, gets really busy and people sort of go off and drive elsewhere.”

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