Shoppers heading to The Light in Durham City will find a new £1 per hour parking charge across the car park, seven days a week, after Durham County Council published a formal order to overhaul the off-street arrangements. The charges run from 8am to 8pm and apply to motor cars and motorcycles, with dedicated bays set aside for electric vehicle charging, disabled badge holders, and permit holders.
A cashless parking service arrives alongside the new tariff. The order also sets out separate staff and visitor permit areas and warns that Civil Enforcement Officers can issue Penalty Charge Notices under the Traffic Management Act 2004 to anyone who flouts the rules.
Parking will remain free on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year’s Day. The order, signed by Helen Bradley, Director of Legal and Democratic Services, was published on 9 July 2026 and gives residents until 30 July 2026 to submit objections or comments. Representations must go in writing to Sharon Renwick at Legal and Democratic Services, PO Box 274, Stanley, County Durham, DH8 1HG, or by email quoting reference 15522821.
The full documentation can be inspected at Durham Clayport Library during normal opening hours, with the detailed plan referenced as TM/40038/26/088. The changes form part of the council’s wider programme of parking updates and sit alongside other statutory notices issued on the same date covering road and footpath closures elsewhere in the county.
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