New car park to help visitors at Phoenix Square

Phoenix, the independent cinema and art centre in Leicester’s Cultural Quarter, is set to benefit from the opening of a new 24-hour car park.

Developer Blueprint - which developed the wider Phoenix Square complex with Leicester City Council, Phoenix and De Montfort University - has leased 1,390 square metres of neighbouring land to the council for use as a car park.

The car park is now opening on a temporarily free basis from Friday 14th September with a pay and display machine due to be installed shortly. The car park is at the corner of Midland Street, Nichols Street and Burton Street. The new facility comprises 42 spaces plus three disabled. It will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It will be free to park after 6 pm – a boon to evening cinema-goers and café bar crowds – with normal council pay and display tariffs at other times (£1.00 for the first hour, £1.50 for two hours, £2.00 for three hours or all day for £4.00), similar to the charges for on street parking in the area.

The car park is also likely to be popular with people visiting the offices and apartments at Phoenix Square, which are close to sold out.

Rory Palmer, Deputy City Mayor and Executive lead on transport, said: "I am pleased that our continued close working relationship with Blueprint means that we can now offer additional car parking right in the heart of the city's busy Cultural Quarter.”

Patrick Welsh, marketing manager at Phoenix Cinema and Art Centre, said: “We expect the new car park to play an important role in supporting the Phoenix cinema and café bar. It should make life a lot easier for our customers.”

Ashley Walters of Blueprint, said: “We were delighted to be able to help Leicester City Council make this happen. We are committed to encouraging the arts in Leicester’s Culture Quarter.”

Mike Candler, Cultural Quarter Project Director at Leicester City Council, said: “We are very grateful to Blueprint for allowing us to have use of the land on reasonable terms.”

Phoenix Square is a unique cultural building, which combines contemporary living space with an independent cinema, art centre and café bar, and state of the art workspaces and office studios housing Leicester’s growing number of creative businesses.

Post by Sophie Heffernan