Off-street parking charges 2025-26

Open for comments from Wednesday 23 October to Wednesday 4 December 2024.

This consultation has been launched to gather feedback on proposed changes to parking charges at car parks managed by Cambridge City Council, to come into effect from 1 April 2025.

Your feedback will help us determine the final level of car parking charges and any adjustments to the proposed tariffs.

Have your say

The proposed changes can be viewed in the attachment on this page. You can submit your feedback by selecting the ‘Take the survey’ button.

The deadline to provide input is Wednesday 4 December 2024.

Parking proposals

It will always be necessary to have some parking charges to control the availability of spaces in the car parks. Charges also assist in managing congestion on the roads during busy times.

They are also in place to encourage people to use public transport, walk or cycle into the city where they can.

Parking proposals to be consulted on include:

• Increasing current parking charges by an average of 20%

These changes are part of our ongoing commitment to:

• provide a high-quality parking service while working to reduce traffic congestion
• improve air quality
• promote a greener, low-carbon environment

These charges also support Cambridge City Council's climate change strategy, which aims to:

• encourage more people to travel by public transport, cycling, walking and significantly reduce car usage
• lower carbon emissions from transport in Cambridge

Parking income can also help to support other services we provide.

• Reinstatement of evening and overnight charges

At four of our multi-storey car parks (Grand Arcade, Park Street, Grafton East, Grafton West), it is proposed to reinstate evening and overnight charges.

This change follows a two-year period where evening and overnight parking was free, aimed at aiding the recovery of the evening economy post-Covid restrictions. 

Free evening and overnight parking will continue to be available at the Queen Anne Terrace car park and at four pay-and-display car parks (Adam & Eve, Castle Hill, Gwydir Street & Riverside) throughout the 2025/26 financial year.

This initiative supports electric vehicle owners in accessing charging points. 

The evening and overnight parking times will remain unchanged from 6pm to 8am (10am on Sundays). 

Other key information

These proposals do not affect the existing three-hour parking discount provided to Blue Badge holders. 

Thank you for participating in this consultation. Your feedback is valuable to us. 

Next steps

We will collate your responses and consider all comments, although we cannot respond to them individually.

Your feedback will be presented to the Executive Councillor for Planning, Building Control and Infrastructure to decide on the level of car parking charges and any changes that may be required to the charging tariffs.

Proposed car park pricing changes will be included within the Budget Setting Report submitted to full Council on 24 February 2025.