Arle Court £20m project could see multi-storey car park created
AMULTI-STOREY car park could be built at the Arle Court park and ride site in Cheltenham. The number of spaces at the facility on the edge of the town are set to double as part of a £20million revamp.
Gloucestershire County Council has agreed to begin the search for a contractor to carry out the work at the site, which is just off the Arle Court Roundabout. It says it is now known as Arle Court Transport Hub.
The proposed changes include building a multi-storey car park. This would help to roughly double the number of parking spaces, which was at 576 before being temporarily lowered to 516 last year.
That was when part of the car park was sectioned off to become a base for workers carrying out major roadworks alongside the A40.
The planned improvements to the site are aimed at increasing green transport options as well as providing support for more housing and jobs in west and north-west Cheltenham.
The proposals include: » 100 electric vehicle charging spaces, with the capability to increase the number of spaces in the future
» Green measures including solar panels to provide power for the site
» Approximately doubling the site’s parking capacity
» More space and parking for buses to help increase services in future including long distance coaches and electric buses
» A passenger waiting room to add convenience and comfort to people’s journeys
» Better access to Cheltenham particularly for those walking, cycling and on e-scooters
» Secure cycle storage
Gloucestershire County Councillor David Gray (C, Winchcombe and Woodmancote) the authority’s cabinet member for environment and planning, said: “We know how important it is to provide more practical and attractive travel options to help people to reduce their carbon footprint and contribute to improving our air quality.
“With increased housing proposed in the area, it’s also essential that we continue to upgrade our transport infrastructure and do so in a way that builds in sustainability. This is also another project that will help us towards reaching our ambitious carbon reduction ambitions as a county.”
Currently, the plans are in the early stages with a planning application likely to be submitted to Cheltenham Borough Council in late 2021.
If that is successful, the scheme could start as early as autumn 2022 and take around 12 months to complete.
The Arle Court Transport Hub scheme will be funded through the successful bid to the Government’s Housing Infrastructure Fund, for £249million for the M5 Junction 10 Improvements Scheme.