Free and discounted parking in Chichester this Christmas - this is when and how you can park for free

Chichester District Council will also be offering a number of parking discounts during the festive period for shoppers.

Select two hours and get a third free in all council-owned car parks across the district (except Avenue De Chartres and Westgate car parks) during December when using the MiPermit app www.chichester.gov.uk/mipermit

There will be free parking after 4pm in the Avenue de Chartres car park in Chichester for the Christmas lights switch-on event on November 26 and late-night shopping in Chichester on December 15 and 22.

Cllr Tony Dignum, the council’s cabinet member for growth, place and regeneration, said: “While everyone is facing rising costs and difficult times at the moment, it’s still really important to highlight the value in shopping locally.

“From using local markets and food producers or making the most of festive visitor attractions like the returning Christmas Market, to searching for unique gifts from independent shops, it’s important that residents continue to ‘shop local, visit local, and support local’ this Christmas.

“Our high streets in Chichester, East Wittering, Midhurst, Petworth and Selsey, have plenty of shopping opportunities on offer. And while you’re there, you can also enjoy the wide selection of cafes and restaurants to make your visit a more special experience.

“I’m pleased to say that we will also be running some special parking offers. We have done this in order to support businesses and residents and to encourage people into Chichester city centre this festive season.”

Returning for another year this December will be the popular Chichester Christmas Market, as well as the regular Chichester Farmers’ Markets and city centre Wednesday and Saturday markets.

To help encourage people to support local businesses in the district the council has also created personalised gift tags and wrapping paper designs for the city and the towns of the district. These can be downloaded to print out at home by visiting www.chichester.gov.uk/countdowntochristmas

For more information to help with shopping locally this festive period, people can also visit the ShopAppy website which lists details of local shops and businesses.

Some of which offer online shopping and ‘click and collect’ services to make shopping more accessible and easier. Towns across the district which are signed up to ShopAppy have their own information on the website and are listed below: Chichester – www.shopappy.com/chichester, East Wittering – www.shopappy.com/eastwittering, Midhurst - www.shopappy.com/midhurst, Petworth – www.shopappy.com/petworth, Selsey – www.shopappy.com/selsey

For more information on shopping during Christmas, visit https://www.chichester.gov.uk/countdowntochristmas