Canterbury district residents will have access to more than 20 free parking days in coastal towns during early 2026, following a new initiative designed to support local shops and businesses outside the peak tourist season.
The scheme, introduced by Canterbury City Council, will run for more than two months from mid January until the end of March. It offers free all day parking on specific weekdays in Herne Bay and Whitstable.
In Herne Bay, parking charges will be waived every Wednesday from 14 January to 25 March at William Street and Neptune car parks.
In Whitstable, residents will be able to park for free every Thursday between 15 January and 26 March at Gorrell Tank and Middle Wall car parks.
To make use of the free parking, residents must be signed up to the council’s residents’ rate permit. Proof of identity and confirmation of residency within the district are required when applying. The permit is already held by thousands of residents and does not need to be renewed or updated to access the new coastal offer. Existing permit holders will automatically receive the benefit.
The residents’ rate permit currently provides a ten per cent discount at the council’s barrier-controlled ANPR car parks in bands two and three across the district, as well as a 20 per cent discount at Canterbury’s three park and ride sites. Anyone who does not yet have the permit must apply before arriving at the car park in order to use the free parking days.
Councillor Alex Ricketts, cabinet member for parking, said, “The introduction of the residents’ rate permit a couple of years ago was a real innovation and it’s been great to see local people benefitting from it through reduced prices at park and ride and car parks across the district. Since then we’ve been looking at other ways we can use this permit to further support residents and businesses. This new offer will help to bring more people into both town centres during those difficult winter months, and we hope lots of our residents will take advantage of it.”
Councillor Chris Cornell, cabinet member for the coastal towns, said, “Herne Bay and Whitstable are fantastic towns with a wide variety of excellent shops, restaurants and other outlets, and we really wanted to give them a helping hand at a time when the weather’s a bit rubbish and money is tight after Christmas. So don’t delay – if you haven’t already, sign up for the residents’ rate permit, come and park for nothing, and spend a few quid to support our coastal towns.”
The initiative is being supported by the Canterbury Business Improvement District’s Visit Canterbury coastal team, which is providing communications support and working with traders to promote local business offers, activities and events through its website and social media channels.
