No return date yet for Wincheap boot fair

The Sunday boot fair at Wincheap park and ride last took place on 15 March before being suspended due to the pandemic.

There is no current date for it to reopen, for two reasons.

Firstly, we are using all three park and ride car parks to allow people to park their car at the significantly reduced rate of 50 pence a day and then walk or cycle into the city or to nearby retail parks.

This is a seven day a week, temporary arrangement to help those shop workers and others who are returning to work now that the city is reopening.

And secondly, with the whole park and ride service across the city suspended, we are unable to open just the Wincheap terminal building for use of the toilets and hand washing facilities, which would, in normal times, be available for boot fair customers to use.

Longer term, our new park and ride contract will start in April 2021. It had been due to start this October, but due to coronavirus, this has been put back to give tenderers more time to bid. Stagecoach will continue to provide the service for the extra six months.

As part of the tender process for that contract, we have asked bidders to provide a price that includes a Sunday service at all three park and ride sites, rather than just the two at the moment.

A final decision on this, and therefore on the future of the boot fair itself, will be taken when we know what prices have been submitted at the conclusion of the tender process.

If there is another landowner who would like to host the boot fair, we'd be happy to talk to them – please email david.harte@canterbury.gov.uk.

Published: 22 June 2020