Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Flats idea for multi-storey car park
Luxury flats could be built above a planned multi-storey car park at Canterbury West Station to help pay for a higherquality construction.
The idea was suggested to city councillors in response to concerns that a generic, modular design would look ugly in a conservation area and at a gateway to the city for visitors.
On Monday night, Canterbury councillors were asked to support plans for a £5 million two-deck car park on the existing site in Station Road West, providing 400 spaces with some shops on the frontage.
But Jan Pahl, of the Canterbury Society, told councillors that great attention was needed when it came to drawing up the design of the building.
She said: “It is a key entrance to the city and I am worried about the description of the building in the report as having a ‘standard finish’.
“It doesn’t sound high-quality to me but rather cheap and nasty when we need something stylish.”
Cllr Nick Eden-green said one way of helping to pay for a higher-quality building would be to put luxury flats on a third storey.
He said it would appeal to people working in the capital but happier living in Canterbury, where they can get a lot more property for their money.
Cllr Jean Butcher agreed, saying there were examples of flats being built over multi-storey car parks in other towns and cities.
Members voted to support the commissioning of a design for a two-storey car park with flats above, but the decision will need to signed off by the regeneration and property committee.
The meeting also heard of a proposal to install a new double lane taxi rank at the station to ease congestion.
Currently, a single lane arrangement often forces cabs to back up into Station Road West.
The idea was put forward by Jeremy Baker, who spoke from the public benches.
He believes it could be implemented prior to the multi-storey development and presented a drawing to council transportation manager Richard Moore, who said it will be investigated.