CONCERN has been raised the number of parking spaces being made available to cope with the closure of Covent Garden car park is falling ‘woefully short’.
Warwick District Council looks set to close the 600 space multi-storey to make way for a new headquarters in Leamington town centre.
At an executive meeting earlier this year, councillors agreed to a parking displacement strategy which would have seen a total of around 200 spaces across sites at Princes Drive, Archery Road and Court Street.
But campaign group Save Leam says planning applications for the car parks show only some 90 spaces will be created – less than half the figure previously agreed by councillors.
A group spokesman said: “The parking displacement strategy agreed by the executive committee appeared woefully inadequate to begin with. It now appears that the council is failing to even deliver on that.
“The plans are self-serving and of no benefit to the town, its businesses, residents or visitors.
“The temporary plan removes significant parking capacity from the north of the town and replaces it with poor facilities to the south. It is of no use to us.”
But Warwick District Council says it is increasing parking options such as offering weekday parking at Riverside House, changes to arrangements at St Peter’s Car Park and is looking at increasing on-street spaces.
Neighbourhood services spokeswoman Coun Moira-Ann Grainger said: “We are continuing to progress the displacement plan, which includes a number of initiatives to support the proposed rebuilding of Covent Garden multi-storey, planned to commence early next year.
“The additional car parking proposed for Princes Drive, Court Street and Archery Road are currently going through the planning process which will determine the number of spaces that can be provided.
“Warwick District Council is working closely with BID Leamington, Leamington Chamber of Trade and a number of other stakeholders to refine the displacement plan in the coming weeks.”
