£2.5m investment plan to modernise car parks

The council says many of its car parks are "unwelcoming" and in a "poor state of repair"

Card, cash and app payments will be possible in every car park in North Yorkshire for the first time as part of a £2.5m investment.

North Yorkshire Council said the authority would also install 430 solar-powered parking machines in its car parks and on-street parking places.

An opposition councillor raised concerns about the level of spending on new machines, however the Conservative-run council said the investment in its 176 car parks was "much needed".

The new machines, due to be considered by the council's executive next week, will replace current ageing technology, and be easier to use and more efficient, the authority said.

A £400,000 programme to replace old sodium lighting with new LED heads and old lamp columns where required is also due to be considered to improve safety and security.

Investment in the machines and lights would generate annual cost savings of £587,000, the authority said.

It will also seek to update signage across its car parks to meet legal requirements and make sure useful information is clearly displayed, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

'Outdated technology'

Green Party group leader, councillor Kevin Foster, raised concerns about the level of spending at a time when the authority was using money from reserves to balance the budget.

"I am very concerned that the council is considering using £400,000 from the local government reorganisation underspend on infrastructure for parking that includes all machines."

He said he hoped the money was not spent on replacing logos though agreed lighting should be looked as as the safety of residents "should be a priority".

North Yorkshire Council's executive member for highways and transportation, councillor Keane Duncan, said: "This is not an optional rebranding exercise – it's a legal requirement following the establishment of the new council."

He said the initial cost of £400,000 predicted for the new signage had been revised to around £270,000 which he said averaged at £783 per sign.

Duncan said the whole scheme would "transform our parking service" making car parks easier to use, safer and more efficient.

"Right now, some of our car parks appear unwelcoming and are in a poor state of repair.

"The technology is outdated, with most machines approaching the end of their working life. Some are now 20 years old and prone to glitches."

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