Worcester’s festive parking offer for Christmas shoppers
Festive shoppers are being given a cracking deal by Worcester City Council in the run-up to Christmas.
Shoppers heading into the centre to look for gifts and soak up the yuletide atmosphere during late night opening each Thursday in December before Christmas can take advantage of free parking after 6pm in the council’s car parks.
The deal applies to council-run car parks from 6pm on December 5th, 12th and 19th.
The council is also offering drivers a chance to pay for three hours and get a full day’s parking on Sundays in December up to Christmas. This starts on Sunday December 1st and concludes on Sunday December 22nd.
All of Worcester City Council’s car parks have retained the prestigious ‘Park-Mark’ award that is issued by the British Parking Association and the Association of Chief Police Officers. That means they are safe, well lit and are well managed.
For a map showing the locations of City Council-run car parks, go to www.worcester.gov.uk/parking
Please note, drivers coming into the city while the annual Victorian Christmas Fayre is on are being advised that the Cornmarket carpark will be closed from 3pm on Wednesday November 27th until midnight on Sunday December 1st. The four-day fayre starts on Thursday November 28th and finishes on Sunday December 1st.
** Worcester City Council press release received 07/11/2019 **
Business Update: Changes to A-Board Policy
In light of the recent introduction of a new countywide Interim Policy for the Management of A-Boards by Worcestershire County Council, we would like to provide you with a useful update to help you adhere to the new A-Board policy.
There are a few small changes that may affect your displays:
- A-Boards must be no more than 1m high and 0.75m wide (previously 1m wide). *
- A-Boards that do not meet the conditions may be removed, without notice, under powers granted by the Highways Act 1980.
- The interim policy is enforced by Worcestershire County Council Officers.
As before, a business may only display one A-Board on the public footway, provided it meets the requirements outlined in the policy. An A-Board per entrance would be allowable where there are clearly distinct entrances at different points. The A-Board must be placed within the frontage of the business, immediately adjacent to (i.e. touching) the front boundary of the business.
Click here to view the full Interim Policy for the Management of A-Boards (2019).
Changes have been made by Worcestershire County Council in light of the Local Transport Plan (LTP4) to align countywide policies. They ensure the city is safe, attractive, easy to navigate and does not contain any unnecessary trip hazards for customers and visitors, in particular the visually impaired, wheelchair users, the less mobile and those with prams, buggies or mobility scooters.
To avoid removal, please ensure to check your business’ A-Board complies with these revised rules.
* Previous dimensions were 1m x 1m, which Worcestershire County Council research and discussions with equalities and highways officers showed was too big. In fact, this was far larger than any other authority in England allows, and almost twice as large as the average. Therefore, the reduced allowable size has been set at 1m high x 0.75m wide – still larger than almost all other authorities. Discussions with City Council have shown that this may mean many A-Boards in Worcester are a few centimetres too wide. It would not be expected that these would be enforced against, under the principle of using enforcement 'proportionate and appropriate to the individual circumstances' (unless of course they broke any of the other rules).
Future High Streets Fund Application Progressing
Worcester's application is amongst 50 additional towns and cities that have been selected to go through to the second round of the Future High Streets Fund
The city was shortlisted for a share of a £1billion government fund to transform high streets and shopping areas. The money could be used in various ways, such as converting empty shops into homes or offices, or improving transport links. As a successful FHS Fund candidate, Worcester's application team will now receive up to £150,000 to develop detailed project proposals that can be submitted for capital funding of up to £25million. The news follows the announcement earlier this year that the city was successful with another bid from the government's Cultural Development Fund, to turn Worcester's railway arches into a business and arts hub.
Read the full article here: