Uniform Christmas parking hours to take place in council car parks around Mayo

Car-parks run by Mayo County Council in all four of the municipal districts will be free to the public after the afternoons before Christmas.

Councillors in the Ballina Municipal District agreed to recommendations to introduce free car parking in Ballina after 2pm starting on December 9 until December 31.

Declan Turnbull, Head of the Municipal District explained that the motorists will still have to pay for parking in the town's seven car parks until 2pm and on-street car parking will remain in place. He said that the four municipal districts in Mayo had agreed to introduce uniform parking regulations in the run up to Christmas.

Catherine McConnell, Director of Services added that the various heads of the municipal districts agreed to have uniform parking times for Christmas and it will make it easier for the council to promote parking for Christmas if the times in all the municipal districts are the same.

When questioned about the reason for motorists to pay for parking in the morning, Mr Turnbull said that they wanted to encourage people to come into Ballina to shop and this system will free up parking spaces.

The new parking times were proposed by Cllr Jarlath Munnelly and seconded by Cllr John O'Hara with no objections.

Meanwhile Santa Claus is expected to be in Ballina on Sunday, December 8 for the turning on of the Christmas lights in the north Mayo capital. Mr Turnbull explained that they plan to have the switching on of the lights ceremony in Market Square in Ballina.

When asked about the Christmas lights in Ballina by Cllr Annie May Reape, Mr Turnbull said that there would be no lights on the trees in Pearse Street because they a lot of the existing lights are not working.

However he added that there will be new lights on Pearse Street and on O Raghallaigh Street and encouraged members of the public to attend the switching on ceremony.