‘The most useless car park’ Council reveals site makes only £700 per year
THE borough council has explained why it wants to sell off what one person has called “Cheltenham’s most useless car park”.
Bosses at the authority want to cash in on the land currently occupied by its Lansdown Place Lane car park.
The 21-space facility, which is hidden away in the Montpellier area of the town, is being marketed by the council. It has advertised it on its website as being up for rent or sale and that it “may be suitable for a two-storey residential development”.
Houses surround the site, which is between Lansdown Place Lane and Lansdown Crescent Lane, and the William Burford House office block is at one of the end of it.
One worker from the block said he was not surprised to hear about the sale, saying: “It must be Cheltenham’s most useless car park.
“It’s quite hard to get in and out of because of the tight entrance and exit points and most people choose to park on the street instead because it’s free.
“You hardly ever see any cars in it. It’s pretty empty most of the time.”
When the Echo’s sister website Gloucestershire Live went to the site, the car park had one vehicle in it.
As the site is partly surrounded by tall buildings, many people might not even know that it hosts a public car park. The council said it was “underused” and only made £700 a year.
Gemma Bell, the authority’s director of finance and assets (deputy Section 151 officer), said: “As part of the council’s asset management strategy, land and property in our portfolio are continually reviewed to ensure each one is contributing to the priorities outlined in the Corporate Plan.
“The car park at Lansdown Place Lane was underused, generating only £700 per year in income, which was not sufficient to cover the cost of the annual business rates for the site.
“We know that people choosing to drive into town prefer to use more central car parks, all of which have good capacity. Following a cabinet decision in July, the council has been through the statutory process of public consultation to remove the car park from the car parking order and no objections were raised.”
The car park at Lansdown Place Lane was underused, generating only £700 per year in income, which was not sufficient to cover the cost of the annual business rates for the site
Gemma Bell