New Addington is one of the districts with extended parking Pic: Geograph

Free parking in nine of Croydon’s town centres has been extended to one hour to make it easier for residents to shop.

The council said the move makes it “quicker, easier and less expensive for people to park outside their local shops for a short time, while still keeping the traffic flowing.”

Stuart King, Cabinet Member for Transport and Environment, said: “We know it’s really important to have short-term parking available for shoppers in our district centres – that’s why those areas have parking restrictions.

“Pay-and-display bays benefit small businesses and their customers, because they place a reasonable limit on the amount of time people can occupy a space outside the shops.”

The areas where the parking will be extended are Coulsdon, Purley, Sanderstead, Addiscombe, Selsdon, Thornton Heath, South Norwood, Cherry Orchard Road and New Addington.

Free parking in the centres was previously limited to 30 minutes.

The extension has been welcomed by Croydon’s small and local business. Ken Burgess, chair of the Central Parade Business District Partnership and owner of Burgess Boys Pet Care Centre, said longer free parking is “tremendous news as far as the small shops are concerned. It’s good for the customers and good for the shop-keepers – it’s a win-win.

“It lets people use their local shops more easily – half an hour isn’t really enough time but an hour lets people go into a couple of shops at least. It’s very beneficial to the district centres,” Burgess added.