Cheapest And Dearest City Centre Car Parks: The 2014 Update

CAR PARKING in the city centre is always a hot topic.

Even mentioning the subject of car parks over the past few days seems to have every Tom, Dick and Harry giving me tips on where the cheapest little back street car parks are, the city centre peripheral hot spots and the extortionate ones to avoid.

I’m a hive of car park knowledge and I don’t, and can't, even drive.

Do you park next door to House of Fraser and save yourself the leg exertion, or park over the river and save yourself the pennies instead?

Yet armed with this knowledge and a guide from a Confidential predecessor I set off on a wander from our Spinningfields offices to see how expensive and how cheap our city centre car parks are. Isn’t it funny how the office newbie always gets the outside jobs in this weather?

City centre car parking map via Parkopedia

King Street West's NCP car park behind House of Fraser (or Kendals as it’s still known) is still one of the most extortionate. If you’re unfortunate enough to leave your car there for an overnight stay you’re looking at £25 for the privilege. Ouch.

Still thankful for small mercies, when Confidential last looked at car park prices it was £25.50. At least you’re saving fifty pence. Ta for that.

Even two hours costs £7 and up to four hours will see you parting with £15; a hefty price to pay just to park your car for the afternoon.

King Street's hefty price list

Next up for expensive rates is the Exchange Station car park, just beyond Harvey Nichols and over the River Irwell from the Cathedral. £7 again for two hours and £25 for 24 hours. However if you’re only nipping into town for some quick errands then it’s only £3 to park for up to an hour.

Exchange Station prices...slightly weatherbeaten.

So far so good…or not so good for our bank balances it would seem.

The NCP Market Place car park, just off Blackfriars Street, is a two minute walk to Harvey Nichols and the Arndale and is a suprising contender for one of the cheaper city centre spots. 

Market PlaceWith many just opting for the Arndale's attached car park out of ease and, let's face it, sheer laziness, Market Place does get forgotten about. Whilst only a few pounds lower than King Street and Exchange Station, it's still cheaper for being relatively the same distance from the shops, restaurants and city centre attractions.

When one suspicious member of the public quizzes me on why at 9.15am on a Wednesday morning I'm skulking around a dimly lit carpark with a camera, I tell her I'm not a would-be car thief in high heels but instead writing an article about cheap car park prices. She replies, "Oh this is a good one, always got spaces."

There you have it, insider knowledge.

So spaces galore and cheap(ish) prices, Market Place will charge you a fiver for two hours parking, £9 for four hours, £13 for six hours and £18 if you leave your car for a 24 hour stay.

Another option for cheap car parking is to cross over the River Irwell and into Salford. Yes, I know that stops being city centre strictly speaking but with some of these car parks only a five minute stroll to Deansgate there are many realising the value of leaving their car a tiny stroll away.

Greengate was one of our cheapest car parking hot spots and still reigns supreme over city centre prices. Costing just £2 for four hours or £2.50 for twelve hours Monday to Friday and £2 for 24 hours at weekends, it's a bargain compared with others. Plus it's only a ten minute walk, at most to Harvey Nichols and the main shops.

Also bargainous is the adjacent Norton Street car park which will only cost you £2.20 for four hours in the week and £1.20 for the same on weekends.

Not the most conventional of directions...

Norton Street prices

So there you have just a brief overview of the city centre car park prices. Do you park next door to House of Fraser and save yourself the leg exertion, or park over the river and save yourself the pennies instead?

Of course there are plenty of other car parks in the city centre as well as the rise of zombie car parks up by Ancoats, in the Northern Quarter and just about anywhere, however if in doubt over the cheapest then simply ask someone. Everyone knows a good one.

Confidential’s car park price guide:

Prices are for a full day, unless specified otherwise.

King St (NCP) - £25.00 (£7.00 for two hours)

Exchange Station - £25.00 (£7.00 for two hours)

Market Place (NCP) - £18.00 (£5.00 for two hours)

Greengate - £3 (Monday to Friday), £2 (Weekends)

Norton Street - £3 (Monday to Friday), £2 (Weekends)

You can follow Niamh on Twitter: @missnspence