Borough Road Wakefield: City centre in need of new multi-story car park say council chiefs

The local authority is considering building the new facility on the existing surface-level car park at Borough Road.

The urgent need for more parking spaces to increase city centre footfall was raised at a full council meeting.

The council has appointed consultants to help produce a parking strategy across the district.

Surveys of car park use in Castleford, Horbury, Normanton, Ossett, Pontefract, South Elmsall and Wakefield were undertaken in July and September this year.

The document is likely to contain information on future parking charges and is expected to be available for consultation in the spring.

Stuart Heptinstall, a councillor in the Wakefield East ward, told the meeting: “Today I left home at 12.30pm to get to this meeting today.

“The Northgate car park was full. I tried the County Hall car park, I tried the Cheapside car park and they were full.

“I can walk it faster than sometimes I can find a car park. The city centre needs parking spaces if we are going to have a vibrant city centre.”

Betty Rhodes, a councillor for Wakefield North, said: “There is a need in Wakefield city. As you all know, we have lost some of our footfall because of free parking that’s around other outlets, particularly in Leeds.

“I look forward to taking part in this consultation. Hopefully we are going to benefit from it.”

Matthew Morley, the council’s cabinet portfolio for planning and highways, said: “We are looking at car parking all across the district, not just council-owned ones. A multi-storey car park is needed. We can fund that.

“We are looking at car parking not just for Wakefield, but for the Five Towns and everywhere else.”

In January, council leader Denise Jeffery told a scrutiny committee meeting that the authority was looking at a building a city centre multi-storey car park “as a matter of urgency”.

She said at the time: “I know that perhaps does not fit in with the green agenda about keeping cars out of the town centre, but I think we have got to be realistic.

“People want to come in their cars and park outside the shops and I think we have got to meet those demands.”

Last December, developer Rushbond was granted planning permission to build houses on council-owned car parks at Rishworth Street and Gills Yard.

The decision led to claims that Wakefield was losing car parking spaces “hand over fist” and it could threaten the “economic vitality” of the city centre.