City park and ride car park to be expanded

The Sniperley Park and Ride site is located between the A691 and A167 and currently has 326 spaces

Work will soon begin on a £2m expansion of a city’s park and ride service.

Sniperley Park and Ride allows people to access Durham city centre, while reducing car journeys.

Durham County Council is expanding the site's capacity to almost 600 spaces from its current 326.

Councillor Elizabeth Scott said she looked forward to the extension "helping people with their everyday journeys for years to come".

Six months of construction work starts on 15 April, but will have a minimal impact on the current service, according to the council.

The additional 262 spaces will increase the provision of standard, disabled, electric charging and motorhome bays.

Ms Scott, the council’s cabinet member for economy and partnerships, added that park and ride facilities helped "tens of thousands of people each year get in and out of the city" for work, shops, leisure and health services.

Ready for construction

The funding for the expansion comes from the government's Transforming Cities Fund.

Ms Scott said it was "vital" that as the city grew, the infrastructure grew with it.

Preparation work has already taken place, including clearing vegetation and sewer works, meaning construction is ready to begin.

As of this month, Sniperley and Belmont Park and Ride sites will be in operation on Sundays.

Buses will serve the sites between 07:00 and 19:00, seven days a week, including most bank holidays, bar Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day.