Extra coach parking spaces set to boost Birmingham’s Christmas trade
CHRISTMAS shopping trips to Birmingham and its famous Frankfurt Christmas Market are set for a boost with the launch of a temporary city centre coach park.
Up to 250 coaches will be able to park on a pay and display basis at the former Parcelforce site on Curzon Street, thanks to a deal between Birmingham City Council and the owners of the site, Parking Partners.
The coach park is already open for business, ready for the busy Christmas shopping period, and will continue to operate into early January.
Birmingham’s Frankfurt Christmas Market, the largest German market outside Germany or Austria, is a hugely popular event, attracting up to 50 coach parties of shoppers a day at peak times, from all over the country.
But although the city centre has a number of bays where coaches can drop off and collect passengers, parking spaces are limited and the main coach parks are outside the City Centre, such as the Flights site in Aston.
The new coach park will make it much easier for coach operators to run trips to the Frankfurt Christmas Market, which this year runs from 16 November-23 December, and Birmingham’s many other shops and visitor attractions.
Cllr Len Gregory, Cabinet member for Transportation and Street Services, said:
“We want to make shopping trips to Birmingham as easy and enjoyable as possible.
“This temporary city centre coach park is sure to bring real benefits to coach operators and their passengers, so we look forward to welcoming even more visitors to find out just how much Birmingham has to offer.”
The coach park is open 7am-7pm Monday to Friday and 8am-6pm on Saturdays. The charges are:
* Up to two hours: £3
* Two to four hours: £5
* Four to eight hours: £8
* Eight to 12 hours: £10
The site may also be available for late evening/overnight parking as well as on Sundays with prior arrangement with the sites operators.
The council is continuing to work to provide a permanent coach park and a site has been earmarked at Brewery Street, in the city centre. It is provisionally scheduled to come into use in 2008.
Note to editors: Coach companies wishing for more information or to arrange use of the site out of hours, overnight and on Sundays should contact Vikram Khara or Selam Shibru on:
Telephone: 020 7021 0534
Fax: 020 7620 0909
Email: curzonstreet@parking-partners.co.uk
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