Parking scheme which gives drivers an extra hour free made permanent

A parking discount scheme giving drivers an extra hour for free has been made permanent.

The "grace period" for Lisburn and Newry's on-street spaces gives motorists an hour to return to their vehicles after their parking expires.

Businesses welcomed the scheme when it was introduced as a temporary measure, but public transport campaigners questioned its cost - and warned it would "incentivise" car travel.

Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins confirmed the discount was being made permanent, saying it gave "additional flexibility" to motorists.

"I am committed to doing all I can to help support local businesses and encourage people to spend more time on the high street," she added.

Stormont's Department for Infrastructure (DfI) is responsible for on-street parking, with charges imposed in controlled parking zones (CPZs) in Belfast, Lisburn and Newry.

More than £4m in Stormont revenue was generated from CPZ parking charges in 2024-25.

The grace period was trialled in Lisburn and Newry for six weeks over the Christmas period.

It cost more than £37,000 in lost parking fee revenue - more than a quarter of the revenue for Lisburn and Newry had the scheme not been implemented.

The trial was extended for a further six months, with Kimmins saying it would help "inform better what I do in the longer term".

The announcement comes a week after public transport operator Translink outlined proposals to cut some services and promotional fares.

The publicly owned company said it faced "very real financial pressures" and needed to explore options "in the absence of a viable budget allocation".

Kimmins said more than 1,000 drivers "availed of the additional flexibility" during the trial run of the grace-period parking scheme.

The Sinn Féin minister added the arrangements "continued to support the effective flow of traffic".

Eamonn Connolly from Newry Business Improvement District (BID) welcomed the move as a "positive step for businesses, shoppers and the wider city".

Ruth Young, president of Lisburn Chamber of Commerce, said the parking scheme "sends a clear message that Lisburn is open, welcoming and easy to spend time in".

Fees for parking in CPZs were last increased in 2023, having remained unchanged since 2017. To park for an hour, the price is £1 in Lisburn and 80p in Newry.

Standard public transport fares increased three times between March 2023 and June 2024, but were frozen in more recent years.

Mark Shields from the Walk Wheel Cycle Trust said that "making walking, wheeling and cycling safer and easier" encourages people to "spend more time and money in our towns and cities".

"Communities across Northern Ireland need to see investment and real progress towards making these fairer, cheaper and more active choices - and trips by public transport - possible for everyone," he added.

Green Party councillor Anthony Flynn said the decision "highlights a clear contradiction in the executive's transport policy".

"Just last week Translink announced significant cuts across public transport services impacting urban and rural areas alike, and now the minister is announcing further schemes for car drivers," he said in a statement.

"You can't say you are supporting town centres while cutting bus services and concessionary fares that many people rely on to reach them."

Last week in response to Translink's plans, the Department for Infrastructure said its "priority is to support passengers and protect access to public transport".

"There is no agreed budget, and the department will continue to work closely with Translink in this interim period," a spokesperson added.