Doubts over £10m HGV access work at historic park

Two planning applications have been submitted for the £10m Workington Gateway project

Objections have been raised over plans to widen a road to provide easier access for HGVs to a town.

Cumberland Council's £10m Workington Gateway project includes plans to widen the A596 at Hall Brow, to make it easier for large vehicles coming from the A66 to travel through the town.

But Workington Town Council has hit out at proposals to take away land from the Grade II listed Hall Park to widen the road and create parking spots.

Cumberland Council said the work aimed to "enhance safety, accessibility, and overall infrastructure" in the area.

The planning documents said Hall Brow was a "long-standing pinch point" which made it difficult for larger vehicles, particularly HGVs, to pass each other safely, resulting in delays and safety risks.

It added cars parked outside homes on the stretch, known as Hall Park View, caused further delays and affected pedestrians, and suggested seven parking spaces would help address the issues.

Workington Town Council objected to the proposals, saying the only impact of the project would be to provide residents' parking, not to widen the road.

"It seems from the plan that the actual usable carriageway, after allowing for the creation of the new parking spaces, will be narrower than the existing carriageway width - this is, in effect, a road narrowing scheme."

It added the plans would be "at the cost" of land from Hall Park, also known locally as Curwen Park.

Hall Park is home to Grade I listed building Workington Hall

Residents also wrote to the council to object to the plans.

One said the parking spaces would still not address the problem, as they would not provide enough room for the 18 homes along the stretch of road.

"Anyone living there knew when they moved that there would not be parking outside their house, just like thousands of others in the town," they said.

Another resident, who also opposed the plans, said Hall Park was "very valuable" for the mental and physical health of the people of Workington.

"The parkland is important as a green space for all, not a parking space for a small number," they said.

As part of the Workington Gateway project, the road would also be widened at the road junction at Ramsay Brow, where Henry's Bar has already been demolished.

A separate application, part of the same scheme, also seeks permission to change pedestrian and cycle paths within Hall Park from gravel to hard surface.

A council spokesman said: "The Workington Gateway project, of which these proposals are a part, represents a significant £33m investment in the town’s regeneration and infrastructure, supported by government funding."

Cumberland Council is due to make a decision on the proposals in due course.