MOTORISTS can take advantage of a new one-hour free parking scheme at two car parks.

From Monday, April 1, Wyre Forest District Council is giving drivers parking at Batemans Yard car park Kidderminster and Vale Road car park in Stourport a free hour’s parking.

The scheme will be available on Mondays to Fridays between 8am and 6pm.

It's in addition to the offer put in place at Gardners Meadow car park in Bewdley in November 2023, which was introduced as a consequence of the long-term traffic works due to work on the flood barrier scheme. Motorists continue to benefit from the free hour parking scheme there.

Councillor Marcus Hart, leader of Wyre Forest District Council said: “As part of the budget the council agreed to fund the free parking scheme which is expected to cost the council in terms of income over the next three years.

"The move gives people the chance to park for free for an hour on weekdays in a specific car park in each of the towns. We hope that it will encourage people to visit our towns and have a positive effect on footfall, as economic regeneration is a corporate priority of this Council, but the scheme also balances our need to secure income from parking to maintain our services.”

Information about the scheme will be displayed on the ticket machine. Motorists can take advantage of the offer once a day. They must get a ticket from the machine to benefit from the free hour parking. The offer is not available on the MiPermit app. 

Those parking for longer than an hour will need to buy a ticket from the machine or use the MiPermit app after the free hour has expired.