Council looking to build multi-storey car park in Wakefield city centre ‘as a matter of urgency’

The local authority wants to build the new facility on Borough Road in a bid to make up for a loss city centre parking to housing development.

Council leader Denise Jeffery said the scheme would go against the ‘green agenda’ but the council needs to ‘be realistic’ about residents’ parking demands.

Last month, developer Rushbond was granted planning permission to build 29 townhouses on council-owned car parks at Rishworth Street and Gills Yard.

The decision led to claims that Wakefield was losing car parking spaces ‘hand over fist’ and it could threaten the the ‘economic vitality’ of the city centre.

Coun Jeffery revealed the plan at a meeting of the council’s regeneration, employment and skills overview committee.

She said:”Car parking in Wakefield is a big issue that needs to be put up the agenda very quickly.

“We are going to lose the Rishworth Street parking through development, and that will be a blow.

“So we are looking at building a multi-storey car park on Borough Road as a matter of urgency.

“I know that perhaps does not fit in with the green agenda about keeping cars out of the town centre, but I think we have got to be realistic.

“People want to come in their cars and park outside the shops and I think we have got to meet those demands.

“We are looking at increasing car parking as a matter of urgency.”

The council is currently proposing the removal of free two-hour parking in council-run car parks as part of budget plans designed to plug a £24m funding gap.

Councillors raised concerns over parking as the Rishworth Street development was approved by the council’s planning and highways committee in December.

David Pickersgill, councillor for Wakefield North said: “We all want people to use public transport. But people don’t have any confidence in public transport at the moment.”

“I think we need a proper parking strategy for what is happening.

“There have been dozens of office buildings in the city centre that have been converted to apartments with minimal or no parking.

“We are storing up a problem which is accumulating across the city.”

Kevin Swift, councillor for Wakefield West, said: “If the loss of car parking on this site could be balanced by an increase somewhere else, then all well and good.

“But it is not clear that that is the situation.

“This side of town has actually lost car parking hand over fist.”

A highways officer told the meeting that alternative city centre parking was available at other sites including Merchants Gate, Ings Road, Smyth Street, George Street plus The Ridings and Trinity shopping centres.

The officer said a district-wide car parking survey is currently being carried out to assess parking requirements post-pandemic.

He added: “It is the case that the city masterplan refers to a low traffic city centre and this does require removing parking provision.”