Planned Beverley park-and-ride scrapped over cost concerns

The plans for the park-and-ride date back almost 20 years

Plans for a park-and-ride in Beverley have been scrapped after a council meeting heard it would run at a loss.

East Riding of Yorkshire Council's cabinet voted not to continue with the 500-space scheme due to be built on the outskirts of the town.

A report said it would cost between an estimated £350,000 and £450,000 each year to run.

The meeting heard that all Beverley ward councillors still supported the scheme.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the cabinet was asked to decide whether it felt the proposed facility off Minster Way was still considered value for money.

It was initially planned 20 years ago as part of a nearby housing development with the home builder paying the £2.5m cost.

The council would run it, including meeting the operating costs and paying for three buses estimated to cost at least £180,000 each.

Councillors heard informal talks with private bus operators had taken place but there was no appetite from them to run it commercially.

The report added that, given changes in demand with the rise in home working and cheaper alternatives closer to the town centre, the service would have to be subsidised.

The park-and-ride site was due to be built on Minster Way

Council Asset Manager Claire Hoskins said demand for parking in Beverley had changed significantly since the coronavirus pandemic.

She added forecast demand from council workers and East Riding College students and staff had dropped because of that and the multi-storey car park at Flemingate built in 2015.

"When the scheme was first considered it was the right thing to do and it fitted the transport needs for the town and it would have solved a number of the challenges we had," Ms Hoskins said.

"Analysis shows this will be poor value for money, supply exceeds demand for parking in Beverley and human nature tells us that people will park as close as where they want to be as possible.

"There's lots of strong feelings about this and a huge range of opinions, most of the people we've spoken to want the park-and-ride but they see the challenges that local authorities are facing financially."

Council Asset Manager Claire Hoskins said demand for parking in Beverley had changed significantly since the coronavirus pandemic

Councillor Nigel Wilkinson said he was not sure parking levels would ever return to pre-pandemic levels.

"We're looking at a scheme that was developed 20 years ago. Times have moved on," he said.

"But I think residents deserve something for putting up with the large amount of development that's taken place in the town.

"We should look at alternative uses for the site which would benefit Beverley residents rather than a park-and-ride scheme when it is more appropriate to do so."