FREE parking after 4pm has been reinstated in two Truro car parks following a concerted campaign by city councillors.

Cornwall Council reintroduced evening free parking today today [Friday, April 10] in Edward Street car park, near Truro Crown Court, and Moresk car park next to the Pydar development area.

The move was welcomed by Truro Business Improvement District (BID) and Truro City Council, who have been campaigning for the return of free parking to support the late afternoon and evening economy, and have been meeting with Cornwall Council since November 2024 to raise concerns about parking capacity and cost.

The privilege was lost in April 2023, when Cornwall Council introduced charges after 4pm in Truro, causing a loss of free evening parking for the city.

Cllrs Rob Nolan (Boscawen and Redannick) and Steven Webb (Moresk and Trehaverne), both Liberal Democrats who serve on Truro City and Cornwall Councils, were onsite at Edward Street with Truro BID manager Alun Jones at 4pm to welcome the first motorist who was able to park for free.

That lucky person was Holly Jones, who was heading into town to meet a friend for coffee. “I was expecting to have to pay for parking,” she said. “I think it’s good – it will encourage people to come in in the evenings, for the theatre, cinema or dinner. I’ve been avoiding coming in at night-time because of that extra cost.”

A recent residents’ survey commissioned by Truro City Council indicated that 41 per cent of respondents would like to see easier and cheaper parking in Truro, with 22 per cent identifying that attracting visitors and encouraging high street vitality was a key priority.

Cllr Nolan said: “We’d had free parking after 4pm from 2013, and it really worked well, getting a lot of people in to do last-minute shopping, go to the pictures, drop the kids off at dance classes. After it was taken away, business owners told me there was a noticeable drop-off in trade.

“That’s why we battled to get it back, and it was quite a struggle because Cornwall Council needs the money. I wanted Garras Wharf, but we couldn’t have that so we have got our foot in the door with these two – and we’re not stopping.”

Cllr Webb added: “This was my one big pledge, and it has been delivered – and it’s just the beginning. Watch this space.”

More than 125 Truro BID members businesses wrote letters and emails to request that free evening parking was reinstated. “We’re optimistic that partial free parking after 4pm will boost the later afternoon retail and professional services customer visits and support the hospitality sector during the evenings,” said Mr Jones.

“We look forward to continuing working together, alongside Truro City Council, to find further improvements to Truro’s parking capacity and cost.”

This change applies only to Edward Street and Moresk, and there will continue to be an evening charge for all the other Cornwall Council car parks in Truro.