The following Christmas parking concession has been announced by DDDC. It takes effect from 1st December.
“Free parking from 2pm throughout December comes on top of residents’ parking concessions which allow local people to park free every day of the year up to 11am and after 4pm. So, over the Christmas period, Dales residents have free parking for 21 hours each day (before 11am and after 2pm). The aim is to help local people and local traders.”
Free parking extends to midnight each day and motorists are reminded not to leave anything valuable in their vehicles as the lead up to Christmas can also be a choice time for thieves.
PARWICH.ORG 
looking at Ashbourne market the other day as I drove past, it would appear that Ashbourne is certainly in decline,probably brought about by the exceptionly high parking charges. You can get parked in any large town in Staffordshire for £1-40 for three hours and the selection of shops on offer is far better.especially in Leek.
Vegetable Box scheme?
I was a little surprised to read the comment about the Ashbourne carpark charges.
I almost always manage to use the free-for-residents parking hours or manage to find a free space somewhere near the town centre. If not, I am happy to pay the (in my eyes) modest parking charges.
Cheaper car parking in another town will be completely offset by the cost of the extra mileage, not to mention the increased carbon footprint, unless you are already in the locality of course.
I would not travel out-of-my-way for most of my shopping: I do my shopping either in my place of work or I use Ashbourne as it is local and offers most of what I need. I try to support the Ashbourne shops, but too often end up in one of the supermarkets rather than supporting the smaller local shops. I hold my hands up as I know I ‘can do better’. Ashbourne may indeed have lost some of its past vitality and the range of shops may have dwindled (I’m not even sure whether that is the case!?), but the town is still a very pleasant place to shop.
My small ‘plug for Ashbourne’ was really prompted by a different question I was asking myself: does anyone buy into a local ‘Vegetable Box scheme’ (local, seasonal, possibly organic, veg & fruit) and ideally delivered in Parwich? If so, I would be really interested in the details. Although I grow some of my own veg, it’s rarely enough (especially after the abundant and giant Parwich slugs and snails have had their share…)!
Further to my original comments on parking in Ashbourne,I lived in Ashbourne from 1973 to 1989 and ran a business there for 19 years,I took a great interest in the town, and the ups and downs of the town were measured quite closely, as you could say I had a vested interest in its well being. Parking isssues have always been a problem in the town, I know first hand, as some of my quiz pals will tell you.
Traveling to do ones shopping has to be measured against the savings made, the availability of choice and affordable parking, and I can hoestly say that I save a substantial amount each week by traveling and those savings more than pay for the extra fuel in the car.
As for carbon foot print, well I am waiting for substantial leads from the government i.e when they bring back the trains to rural locations like Ashbourne.