Bid to increase parking spaces at Rufford Abbey

Rufford Abbey receives about 400,000 visitors a year, according to the company which manages it

Parking at one of Nottinghamshire's most popular visitor attractions will be expanded if new plans are approved.

Rufford Abbey is what remains of a stately home and is set within a large area of parkland with a boating lake.

Parkwood Leisure, which manages the abbey on behalf of Nottinghamshire County Council, said the site could become congested at peak periods, which can lead to "ad hoc" parking and put pressure on the nearby A614.

It has submitted an application to Newark and Sherwood District Council to repurpose a storage area and increase the use of grass overspill parking.

Busy times already see the overspill parking (right) used but a maintenance depot (top) could also be repurposed

Rufford Abbey started as a medieval abbey but became a country house after it was closed by Henry VIII.

However, many of its original buildings were then demolished in the 1950s.

Parkwood Leisure estimates it is now visited by more than 400,000 people every year.

It currently has two hardstanding car parks, but also uses part of the grounds as overspill, with space for about 200 cars, but it is only permitted to do so for a limited time.

Documents submitted to the council said: "Peak time park usage causes great problems when there are not enough parking spaces.

"This is alleviated by using the [overspill] area but the permitted permissible allocation of days for parking currently is 90 days.

"If this could be extended to 150 days it would greatly improve efficiency, safety and prevent the ad hoc parking around the site currently experienced when there are not enough vehicular spaces available."

The application added: "It will also enable the site to alleviate congestion on the A614 during busy times by enabling additional parking to release 'pressure' on the A614."

A second area, currently used as a maintenance depot, is also included in the application.

Parkwood said much of this was now surplus and it now wanted to create about 100 additional spaces here too.

A date for consideration of the application has not yet been set.