Council and BID aim for a stress-free Christmas in Winchester
Christmas is a fun time for most of us, but it also brings its stresses and strains. Magical events, the Santa countdown, the fairy lights and the delicious food often come at a price for the harassed adults responsible for spreading the joy.
This year, Winchester City Council and Winchester Business Improvement District (BID) are hoping to make life a little easier in the run-up to the big day. In response to feedback following the 2015 festivities, they have been working closely to introduce a range of measures designed to make a visit to Winchester an enjoyable one from start to finish.
Cllr Steve Miller, Portfolio Holder for Economy & Estates at the City Council, commented:
Over the past decade, the winter season in Winchester has been transformed to our very busiest time of year. This is great news for retailers, eateries and many other businesses, but we need to ensure we don’t kill the goose that lays the golden egg. We have listened to our business community, and will ensure that the welcome for visitors this Christmas is our first priority.
Although there are very few occasions when there are really no spaces in the city, a series of initiatives are being introduced to ensure that shoppers can park with greater ease. These include:
- exploring the scope for traffic marshals funded by the BID on duty at the Brooks Car Park and King Alfred statue, providing information and parking directions to incoming vehicles;
- 150 spaces are being offered at weekends for BID members on Hampshire County Council’s lower deck at Tower Street Car Park, to leave spaces in public car parks for shoppers;
- more parking for City Council staff at St Catherine’s Park and Ride and the Bar End Depot to leave spaces at Chesil Multi Storey Car Park for shoppers;
- the inclusion in the new Park & Ride contract of an extension to 8.30pm (an hour later than usual) on all park and ride routes for the five weeks before Christmas, and a Sunday service funded jointly by the BID and City Council;
- the lifts and toilets in Chesil Street Multi Storey Car Park will be operational for the first time on Sundays;
- parking marshals will be on duty in the Park and Ride car parks on peak days to help people find parking spaces.
The Council is confident that the opening this year of the new Park and Ride at Pitt with its 199 spaces will also help to ensure that visitors can find a space that suits their needs.
Cllr James Byrnes, the Portfolio Holder for Transport & Professional Services, added:
Winchester is an enchanting place to visit and shop in at Christmas. But we need to ensure that people enjoy the whole experience – from their arrival to the moment they leave. That means getting the infrastructure right and ensuring the presentation of the city is as good at it can possibly be. We want to reach out to new shoppers and encourage them to come to Winchester – and indeed to our delightful market towns and villages - rather than order online or head off to rival shopping centres.
All the usual festive celebrations will be back, from the switch-on to the cathedral’s Christmas market, and from the pantomime to the grotto. The Council and BID are also investing in more Christmas lights, a smart replacement sign for the bus station and more tasteful traffic cones for the Broadway. Even the large replica of King Alfred in the Tourist Information Centre will be sporting a Santa hat this year.
Catherine Turness, Executive Director of Winchester BID, stated:
Winchester really has truly become the home of Christmas, and as such we want everyone to feel that their needs have been catered for when they come here to shop, skate, eat out or be entertained. I feel that we have made significant progress towards dealing with some of the concerns of last year. And we are not resting on our laurels - there is more still to come.