SCORES of Chippenham workers will be trying their luck for a rare bargain parking space in the town centre.

The spaces off Westmead Lane, owned by the Chippenham Borough Lands charity, are being made available for just £10 a month – but only 30 are up for grabs and only to workers on the minimum wage.

The offer is open to those employed by the 377 members of the Chippenham Business Improvement District (BID), which was voted in place by local businesses in November last year.

The BID is now taking applications from businesses and will pick 30 at random next month.

Not all of the 377 businesses will have low income workers who qualify for the spaces, and businesses need to provide evidence of salaries.

Chippenham BID manager Carolyn Brownell said: “One of our key objectives outlined in the BID’s business plan is to look at various parking issues in the town centre affecting both businesses and visitors.

“We know that many of the low income workers who are on the national minimum wage are struggling to afford the cost of parking. This first initiative is designed specifically to help our local workers and also to help businesses keep their employees.”

The initiative is being well received by workers in nearby Borough Parade.

Suzanne Eyre, part-time sales assistant at Paprika, said: “I think it’s a brilliant idea, especially if you could share a space, because I don’t work every day. There’s nowhere to park in Chippenham, I have to park on London Road and walk from there.”

Sally Fyfe, a shop assistant at Butler’s Butchers next door, said: “That will be good. I walk to work, I would bring my car but I can’t afford it. It’s £1 an hour and I work 10 hour shifts, so I wouldn’t bother working if I had to pay that.”

Entry to the car park will be via a coded pin pad barrier and the BID town hosts will police its use.

Phil Tansley, executive officer at Chippenham Borough Lands, which owns the car park to be used, said: “The car park at Westmead Lane is used by neighbouring residents and organisations that hold a car parking permits.

“There has been a need to formalise the use of this car park for some time to ensure those people parking all have permits and are legally parked. Introducing a barrier system will improve the car park for current users as well as give us an opportunity to allocate some space for low income workers.”

The BID said there would be no loss of spaces for current residential permit holders.

Applications for a space should be made by employers who can email Carolyn Brownell at info@chippenhambid.co.uk