Swansea retail park Parc Tawe East has announced it is giving visitors an extra hour’s free parking in time for the summer holidays so that people have more time to enjoy all that the shopping and leisure destination has to offer.
Parc Tawe is the only car park in Swansea city centre to offer free parking. Now, thanks to the extension, all visitors to the popular retail park will be able to stay for free for up to three hours, plus they have the option to extend their free-parking-window simply by shopping at some of its onsite restaurants and leisure facilities.
Parc Tawe is home to a number of big-name brands as well as independents and since 2019 has undergone an extensive programme of improvement which has seen some £15million invested into the buildings, infrastructure and landscaping.
The 20-unit park once home to Toys R Us and Mothercare, is now almost full with an exciting mix of retailers, restaurants and entertainment experiences that together make for a great day out for people of all ages.
Odeon Cinemas, Ten Pin and Plantasia lead the leisure line up at the park with Costa Coffee, Denny’s Diner, Treatz Desserts, India India and coffee shop Double Zero heading up the eateries. B&M Bargains, The Food Warehouse, Iceland, Kutchenhaus Kitchens and the soon to open Aldi form part of the shopping line up with more names soon to be announced.
Free parking for over 700 cars is available for Parc Tawe customers from 6am until 10pm every day. In addition, visitors to the 10-screen Odeon, ten pin bowling, Denny’s Diner, India India, Treatz, Costa Coffee and Kutchenhaus as well as tropical wonderland Plantasia, have the option to extend their free parking period by at least a further two hours. All people spending at those outlets need to do is input their car registration details with the help of staff.
The decision to extend free parking from two to three hours comes in response to Parc Tawe listening to feedback from customers who felt two hours simply wasn’t long enough.
“A positive experience for customers is extremely important to us and we know this will be welcome news particularly for families planning a visit over the summer holiday period as it gives them more time to enjoy all that’s on offer,” says a spokesperson at Parc Tawe.
“The pandemic has brought challenges to us all and the retail and leisure industry has been particularly badly hit which is why we are constantly looking for ways to support our outlets as well as making things easier for our customers.
“We first introduced monitored parking at the end of last year as we wanted to avoid space blocking by people not visiting the outlets. It made sense to introduce a two-hour window as then spaces would become free at regular intervals throughout the day and new visitors could be confident of being able to park.
“We did run into teething problems which was disappointing but we are confident these early glitches have now been addressed and that combined with the three hours guaranteed free parking, visitors can be sure of a pleasant experience.”
A spokesperson for Centurion adds “Parc Tawe has been an important feature in Swansea’s leisure landscape since it was built in the 1980s and local residents will have watched it change and at times struggle, during some difficult economic periods. Now, thanks to millions of pounds of investment, the park will soon be full and boasts a fabulous variety of options when it comes to eating out, grabbing a quick snack or coffee, watching a movie or letting your kids explore the world of meerkats and tropical tortoises.
“It’s an exciting time for the park, for us as its relatively new owners and most importantly for the city and we’re looking forward to bringing more good news over the coming months.”