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Stirling’s Thistles car park reopens as a cashless and ticketless operation

ANPR will be in place after a five-year refurbishment that cost £3.5m.

Thistles car park in Stirling.
The city centre car park has reopened. Image: Mark Ferguson

A Stirling car park has gone cashless and ticketless after a £3.5 million upgrade.

Thistles Car Park, located in the heart of the city, has undergone a multi-million-pound refurbishment.

The site closed in 2020 for work to get underway.

The Goosecroft Road facility is part of the Thistles shopping centre in Stirling.

Cashless and ticketless operations are a new feature in the revamp.

Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) systems will be in place at the entrance and exit of the car park.

This will eliminate paper tickets.

Tickets can be purchased by card at the exit barrier or pay station in the car park.

There are now 267 “safe and secure” spaces in the facility, with 51 extra-wide spaces on the third level.

Stirling car park is ‘exciting new chapter’, says boss

Gary Turnbull, centre director at Thistles, said: “We are incredibly proud to have invested in the upgrade of the Thistles car park, creating a more convenient and enjoyable experience for visitors to the city centre.

“This investment marks an exciting new chapter for Thistles, reinforcing our commitment to enhancing the city centre for shoppers and the wider community.

“We look forward to welcoming visitors to experience the improvements first-hand.”

Thistles Shopping Centre opened in 1977 and now hosts more than 70 shops and cafés.

Thistles car park.
Vintage cars were given first access. Image: Mark Ferguson

Stirling and District Car Club was given exclusive access to the new facility, bringing along 1960s and 1980s-style cars – a nod to the era of the centre’s opening.

Thistles said the renovated car park provides “much-needed additional parking spaces in Stirling city centre.”

Included in the upgrades are resurfacing, redecoration, and energy-efficient lighting.

Elsewhere in Stirling, a golf equipment shop has been given the green light for a spot on Borrowmeadow Road.

Parking charges at the Thistles

  • 1-2 hours £2.50
  • 3-4 hours £4
  • 5-6 hours £5
  • 7 hours and over £8.50
  • Sunday £3 all day

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