Losing the car park ‘would be real blow to town centre and the appeal of Castle Street’
SHOP owners and residents have strongly opposed plans to remove a car park next to Hinckley’s main shopping street.
Proposals have been put forward to reconfigure the Church Walk car park area, next to Castle Street, with the potential to remove most of the spaces and replace it with an extension of the Argents Mead green space.
Three options have gone up for consultation, as part of a wider heritage project to improve the look of the central area and improve walking routes, with all of the options involving creating a path across part of the car park, removing some spaces.
The car park currently has around 90 spaces and this would be reduced to either 50 spaces, 32 spaces or under the most radical option, all the spaces would be removed apart from four disabled parking bays.
Shops in the area have organised a petition to oppose the proposals, which has already been signed by around 1,000 people, with concerns that losing such a central car park could force businesses in the area to close.
Steve Wegerif is director of Hinckley BID (Business Improvement District), which exists to promote shops and businesses in the town centre. He said: “We’re not in favour of losing car park spaces in one of our most popular car parks.
“Castle Street is a steep incline having a car park halfway up is ideal for people who struggle with hills, and for people who are buying a lot of products and want their car nearby.
“Most businesses we have heard from in the town centre are not in favour of it.”
The proposals to change the car park are part of the Hinckley High Street Heritage Action Zone (HSHAZ), with £1.85 million to be spent on improving the town’s conservation area, which includes Argents Mead, Castle Street and Station Road.
The money will be spent on improving historical shopfronts, jitties and other architecture, as well as on the Church Walk car park area.
Castle car park (Hill Street) is just a few minutes walk away on the other side of Argents Mead and St Mary’s Road car park is also a short walk from Castle Street, off Station Road.
Mr Wegerif said: “I don’t think the park needs improving. What we could do with is more about our heritage in the town centre, not just in Argents Mead. There’s very little in the rest of the town about the history of Hinckley. We need something to give it a bit more personality.” Argents Mead is home to the site of the town’s historic castle, where the town’s war memorial now stands, while the bandstand is often used for music events.
If the car park was extended under the plans, new shrubs would be installed to outline more of the moat that would have surrounded the castle. However, some residents have responded to the consultation in support of getting rid of the car park. One person said: “All towns have more or less the same shops, so we need something to attract people to come to our town rather than other places, and the beautiful mead is one way to show why people should come and stay for a while. “Currently you wouldn’t know it is here unless you are local and if you are, well, connecting it better to the shops can only be a good thing.
“The current car park is an eyesore and a very scruffy bit of the town, and the car park itself has spaces too small for less abled people.
“You can’t open the car door very wide in the cramped space available so proper dropping off spaces would be better.”
Borough councillor David Bill spoke out in opposition to removing the car park.
He said: “There’s a strong case for protecting and enhancing the war memorial area and the mead and the grass area. We saw at the motorshow just how popular the open area is and how well it can be used.
“But there’s no way we can contemplate loss of parking on Church Walk car park.
“It’s halfway up the hill, it’s difficult for people to walk up Castle Street at the best of times.
“It would be a real blow to the centre and to the appeal of Castle Street to lose the car park.”
This year’s annual motorshow, which is organised by Hinckley BID, attracted about 13,000 visitors. Cllr Bill said some of the funds from the HSHAZ have already been allocated to improvements on shop fronts on Station Road.
The Hinckley Times asked the borough council what will happen if none of the options prove popular with residents.
A spokesperson said: “If there is not a clear majority approval, there will be further discussions with key stakeholders and funders on working up an alternative design that still aims to meet the objectives of the project but also takes into consideration key themes from feedback.
“The aims of the Church Walk enhancement project are to allow for improved pedestrian access, movement and legibility between the historic main shopping street (Castle Street) and Argents Mead and to renew a dated public realm to create a better environment.”
Regardless of the heritage scheme, the car park needs resurfacing work, which would mean the loss of around 20 car parking spaces.
It is estimated that this would cost the council around £45,450.
Council leader, Stuart Bray, said: “I have been clear with officers from the start that I want to see an increase in the amount of parking in Hinckley not less.
“There is a consultation on-going about improving access in this area with a range of options which I would urge people to look at.
“There would need to be an overwhelming response from the public and town centre businesses to make major changes in this area as I know that this is a well-used and much loved car park particularly for people with mobility issues.”
You can comment on the consultation on the project website. Paper copies of the proposals are also available on request, by calling 01455 255625.
All comments need to be received by Friday, October 1.
Castle Street is a steep incline - having a car park halfway up is ideal for people who struggle with hills Steve Wegerif