Car park shut for at least a year due to structural issues
A LARGE car park in Mansfield will close for at least a year because of structural problems.
Mansfield District Council took the decision to close Walkden Street multi-storey car park to carry out “essential” maintenance and inspections.
The council said that it decided to close the facilities as a “precautionary measure” and in the interest of public safety until the repairs were completed. The council says inspections, carried out by structural experts, have highlighted the need for comprehensive maintenance to ensure the future safety and integrity of the structure, and the scope of the required repairs was extensive. Due to the complexity of the work, the council says it anticipates the car park will remain closed for at least 12 months.
The Walkden Street car park closed on February 29 and has 307 parking spaces, 48 disabled parking spaces and a motorbike space.
The council says it has also been “actively evaluating” its Four Seasons Shopping Centre car park. An inspection of the facilities in the last few months determined its future refurbishment needs, with small areas of the car park cordoned off. The car park has 419 parking spaces, 19 disabled parking spaces, and four motorbike spaces.
A statement from the council reads: “We are working closely with structural engineering experts to develop a comprehensive refurbishment works programme for the Four Seasons car park.”
The authority said that a contractor will potentially be appointed to take the programme further in the summer of this year. The works will include concrete deck waterproofing, drainage repairs and replacement, resurfacing of the upper decks and aesthetic enhancements.
Once the works start, it is anticipated the project will take approximately nine to 12 months to complete. During this time, sections of the car park will remain open and accessible to customers, with disruptions kept to a minimum.
The total investment for the essential works in the Four Seasons multi-storey car park will be around £2m, which has already been identified within the council’s approved capital programme.