Wakefield: Loss of city centre parking threatens 'economic vitality'

Plans for the city's civic quarter include building housing on two council-owned car parks

The loss of parking spaces due to a housebuilding scheme could threaten the "economic vitality" of Wakefield city centre, councillors have claimed.

Developer Rushbond was granted approval to convert the former Wood Street police station into 33 flats.

The project also includes building 29 townhouses on council-owned car parks in Rishworth Street and Gills Yard.

Wakefield Council's city centre masterplan aims to reduce traffic and encourage walking and cycling.

The council's planning and highways committee approved the building scheme as part of plans to transform the city's Civic Quarter.

David Pickersgill, councillor for Wakefield North, told the meeting the two car parks were well used, with each providing between 50 and 60 car parking spaces.

"As a ward member I'm broadly happy with the Wood Street and Gills Yard part of the proposal, but I am really concerned about Rishworth Street.

"To do Rishworth Street at the same time is too much, too quickly," he said.

"We all want people to use public transport, but people don't have any confidence in [the service] at the moment."

The application, which includes converting a former police station into apartments, is part of plans to transform the city's civic quarter

Free parking was introduced at council car parks during the pandemic in order to boost the local economy, with incentives continuing at some sites, the meeting was told.

'Big loss'

Kevin Swift, councillor for Wakefield West, said the city had already lost multi-storey car parks on Rishworth Street and Borough Road.

"This side of town has actually lost car parking hand over fist," he said. "We are talking about a big loss.

"At the same time, the importance of car parking to the economic vitality of the city is demonstrated by the way we took deliberate action to make car parking more attractive in the last couple of years."

The meeting was told alternative parking was available, and assessments were taking place to establish future parking requirements, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"It is the case that the city masterplan refers to a low-traffic city centre and this does require removing parking provision," an officer said.