Shoppers visiting Bury St Edmunds this Christmas are being welcomed with extra car parks, a seasonal park and ride service and free late night car parking.
Late night shopping begins with the Christmas lights switch on, on Thursday 17 November and continues for the six Thursdays leading up to Christmas. On these evenings, St Edmundsbury Borough Council owned car parks in the town centre will be free from 4pm onwards.
A seasonal park and ride service begins with the popular Christmas Fayre, this year being held on Friday 25, Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 November.
On the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the Christmas Fayre the park and ride runs from Olding Road car park, easily accessible from the west junction to the A14. The drop off and pick up point is the bus station in the town centre.
A second site will be operating on the Saturday and Sunday, at Kempson Way on the Moreton Hall Estate, with easy access to the East exit on the A14. The drop of and pick up point is Honey Hill, next to Angel Hill.
On the Christmas Fayre Friday and Saturday both sites will operate from 8.45am to 6.45pm and on the Christmas Fayre Sunday from 9am to 5.15pm. The cost is £4 per car, regardless of how many passengers.
The park and ride will continue to run on the following three Saturdays (3,10 and 17 December), leading up to Christmas, operating from both sites, from 10am to 5.45pm.
Two park and walk sites will also be available for the Christmas Fayre only. The Greene King car park, with its entrance from Cullum Way, is five minutes walk from Angel Hill and is open on the Saturday and Sunday. It costs £3 a visit. The West Suffolk College car park is also available on the Saturday and Sunday. Its entrance is on Beetons Way, it is five minutes walk from the arc shopping centre and it will be free to use.
The town centre car parks will be very busy particularly over the Christmas Fayre. If you plan to use them, please arrive early. The car park attendants will be actively helping you to find the first available space but they may direct you to other car parks if queuing is causing congestion. You may prefer to come to Bury on one of the late shopping nights.
