Beauty spot car park to be upgraded

The 24-hectare Frimley Lodge Park opened in 1988

A "dire" beauty spot car park in Surrey which is "way beyond its viable life" is to be upgraded.

The 24-hectare Frimley Lodge Park opened in 1988 and has grown in popularity ever since.

Surrey Heath Borough Council has announced it will be resurfacing the site's car park.

Shaun Macdonald, council leader, said the unevenness of the surface meant it was "like the Himalayas".

The cost of the project was kept private during a council meeting, but a spokesperson said it would be paid for out of the borough council's community infrastructure levy.

The car park will continue to be free of charge, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

In 2024 more than 250,000 cars parked there as visitors were drawn to its mix of woodland, open space, picnic areas and playgrounds, as well as a miniature railway and meadows.

A report to the council read: "In periods of heavy rain, a considerable area of the main car park is underwater and cannot be used, adding further pressure on the available areas to park.

"The car park surfacing and access road is beyond its viable life and in dire need of resurfacing."

The work is set to replace the access road and car park surfaces, create ducts to install EV charging points and put in mains-powered lighting.