Car parks set for upgrades as plan is backed

AN INVESTMENT of £550,000 in car parks in market towns across a North Yorkshire district has been given the go-ahead by councillors.

The funding paves the way for a two-year improvement programme across Hambleton’s five market towns – Northallerton, Thirsk, Bedale, Stokesley and Easingwold.

Parking bays will be made bigger, electric car-charging points installed and new payment methods introduced in the machines at the pay-and-display facilities.

The national charge point registry shows across the district there is only one public charge point – in Northallerton. Signs will also be updated, and extra CCTV cameras and automatic number plate recognition devices will be brought in to increase security.

“We want to improve our payand-display car parks for all users – be they residents, visitors or businesses of Hambleton,” said Hambleton District Council’s cabinet spokesperson Coun Isobel Sanderson. “They need to be customer focussed, modern, safe and attractive.

“We have listened to the feedback from users and are acting on that – such as installing new payment machines which will allow drivers to use cards and phones and as well as cash, and for our regulars there will season tickets.”

The 11 car parks in the towns are used about 1m times every year – and bring in £710,000 in revenue. The improvement programme, which will take two years to complete, was recommended for approval by the council’s cabinet, which also approved an extra £400,000 for maintenance.

The decision, which supports the authority’s economic strategy of developing vibrant market towns, will now go before a full council meeting on July 17 for final approval.