Plans to sell underused Cheltenham car park approved

The Idsall Drive car park is used by only about three cars a day, a council meeting heard

An underused council-owned car park has been declared too costly to keep.

Idsall Drive car park in Prestbury is a 10-space short stay car park and currently costs Cheltenham Borough Council about £4,000 to run.

It had been planning to sell the car park since 2020 but negotiations with Prestbury Parish Council were halted in 2021/22.

The council has now voted to declare the site surplus to requirements and will dispose of the land.

It says there are plenty of other spaces with free parking available nearby and the sale is necessary to generate capital to fund other public projects.

The decision was made after a report presented to borough council's cabinet on 19 September found the site would need resurfacing and boundary treatment, with capital expenditure going above the annual revenue cost.

Council leader Rowena Hay said she had received many emails from residents who were concerned about the loss of the car park but explained the council needed to sell the land to generate income.

She added: "We've been very creative and determined to make sure we don't cut services.

"We continue to deliver but you've got to find other ways of doing things.

"We made this decision some time ago, we've got the data and the reasons."

Housing cabinet member Victoria Atherstone said it was very clear the car park was underused, with only about three cars parked there most days, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"There are 23 other spaces in close proximity where parking is free," she said.

Finance and assets cabinet member, Peter Jeffries, determined that disposing of the land should not have a negative impact on local parking.