City centre boost with new parking charges

A new parking offer to encourage people to visit and stay in Sunderland for longer is set to come into place in April, as part of a wider plan to boost city centre trading.

Sunderland City Council's cabinet is set to approve a new car parking offer tomorrow [26 March] - one additional hour of parking is gifted with every parking purchase - to encourage people coming into the city centre to turn a shorter stay into a longer visit. 

The incentive is just one part of a focused effort by Sunderland City Council and Sunderland Business Improvement District (BID) to increase footfall, dwell-time and spend in the city centre, and to attract more traders to the heart of Sunderland, improving the retail offer for residents and visitors.

Councillor Michael Mordey said he hoped the new parking deal - which will apply to all council-run city centre surface car parks - would deliver a boost to city centre traders. 

He said: "The city centre is transforming and - with some brilliant new traders coming into the heart of Sunderland - there are more and more reasons to visit the city centre. But we know there is more to do, and we're working hard to proactively promote Sunderland to new retailers who can further enhance our offer. 

"Added to that, giving a free additional hour with every parking booking in city centre surface car parks, is something we hope will encourage people to extend their stay and use their free hour to explore some of the new places we have to visit - from new independent retailers to eateries and leisure venues."

Footfall, the number of transactions and how much people are spending in the city centre has all been increasing for the last seven months, positive indicators for Sunderland when it comes to trading.  The city is bucking the national trend, with the benchmark for Great Britain showing a reduction in total sales year on year (-3.3%), while Sunderland is reporting growth (0.8%).  Food and drink in the city centre has seen a particular surge in sales, with an 11% increase in 2025, compared with a -2.5% swing nationally.

Sunderland BID has been working with retail lettings specialist Savills to explore how the city can attract more varied retailers to the city centre, as the benefits of a £600m transformation programme begin to be felt. 

Sharon Appleby, chief executive of Sunderland BIDs, said: "Confidence is absolutely critical when retailers invest in a new store, and the huge programme of regeneration underway in Riverside Sunderland - bringing thousands of people into the area to live, work and play - will provide a significant boost to that.

"Add to that the football club's Premier League status, which has had a significant impact on footfall in the city, and places like the Sunderland Empire, The Fire Station and the transformed Omniplex cinema bringing thousands of people to enjoy entertainment, and it is easy to see why more people are attracted to visit and spend in the city.  This data allows us to show retailers that there is an opportunity that they're missing out on by not being in Sunderland. 

"It really is the case that people in the city who want to see more retailers can play a part in making that a reality by supporting their city centre, and through offers like the new parking deal, hopefully they will do just that."

City centre parking charges have been reviewed and remain among the cheapest in the North East.