Car park redeveloped for £500k 'not being used'

Mike Evemy, leader of Cotswold District Council, introduced ten days of free parking at Whiteway Car Park for Christmas in 2021 to boost interest

Concerns have been raised over the viable future of a permit-only car park which cost £500,000 to redevelop.

The Whiteway car park, next to Cirencester Rugby Club in Gloucestershire, has seen only 18 long-term permits sold despite offering the cheapest price in town. The car park does not allow for other short-term day parking.

The decision was made to redevelop the 152-space site in 2017 whilst a new multi-storey car park was built elsewhere - a project which was then halted.

Cotswold District councillor Paul Hodgkinson said a review of the car park can take place in 2028, but in the meantime, more people should be encouraged to use it.

A yearly parking permit for The Whiteway is £520, while a 12 month pass for Abbey Grounds is £1,160 and £780 at Sheep Street, Old Station and Waterloo car parks.

The Whiteway car park is the farthest from the town centre at around 0.5 miles (0.8km), whereas the Waterloo car park is 0.2 miles (0.3km). The Sheep Street and Old Station car parks are similar distances.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the car park currently generates around £17,000 a year for Cotswold District Council.

The original decision was taken by the Conservatives in 2017 to spend £320,000 on the rugby club car park, which was then bolstered by the Liberal Democrats who later decided to spend a further £192,000.

Council chiefs said demand for the site has been much lower than they first anticipated when they decided to redevelop the site before the pandemic.

At a meeting on 24 September, conservative councillor David Fowles said it was the "right decision" to open it, but now "it is pretty obvious that it is not being used".

Mr Hodgkinson told the meeting it is an issue that is constantly being monitored.

"If you had a season ticket for the Whiteway, it would cost you substantially less than anywhere in Cirencester," he said. "But despite all that, it is not being used enough.

"At the moment there is no prospect of trying to undo the arrangement we've currently got. I gather 2028 is the time when it can be reviewed."

People can apply for a season pass on the authority's website.