Fears loss of Trowbridge car park will cause 'financial issues'

On September 18, Wiltshire Council said an agreement has been reached in principle to transfer ownership of St Stephen’s multi-storey car park to the owner of Castle Place, which is attached to the shopping centre.

Cllr Mel Jacob, leader of the town council and also deputy leader of Wiltshire Council and a member of the cabinet due to decide on the transfer of the car park, has said the town council “supports urgent repairs” taking place this winter.

She also acknowledged the concerns some residents have expressed about financial impact and the potential loss of parking spaces.

However, Cllr Jacob said other residents had said getting rid of the car park is the best course of action, as it remains an “unpleasant” place to park.

In a statement, Cllr Jacob explained: “The situation with the multi storey is really challenging and as the town council we know lots of residents are concerned.

“Some residents are worried about the financial impact of the loss of the free parking and others are about the long-term plans for the site and what might happen to it.

“Other residents have told us they think redevelopment of the site is the best thing as it’s currently not a pleasant place to park. 

“In the very short term the town council understands and supports urgent repairs that are needed to make it safe and that this means it will close this autumn for several months.”

The council has said a report will be discussed at a Cabinet meeting on 7 October, where they will be asked to green light the proposal.

At a scrutiny committee meeting on September 24, Cllr Helen Belcher said the cost of the repairs which are due come to £350,000. The car park is then due to open in January of next year, and is expected to remain open until spring 2027.

In a statement sent to the paper last week, Cllr Belcher said: “The proposal that has been put forward to transfer the freehold has not been done lightly.

“Given its age and condition, the future of St Stephen’s multi-storey car park has been discussed over a number of years and identified as a long-held priority for the town – for instance, it was identified in the 2015 Core Strategy as an ‘opportunity site’ as well as the 2014 Trowbridge Masterplan and its 2020 refresh.

“The car park is reaching the end of its natural life and while we will be making some repairs to ensure it can be used again in the short-term, extending its useful life beyond this would require significant investment. Structural engineer reports have highlighted a number of serious issues that would need to be addressed just to extend its life by another 10 years, which we don’t see as being financially responsible at this time.

“A range of other options have been considered but for all options, factors such as the age, construction and condition of the building, as well as the presence of the legal agreement, suggest they wouldn’t be viable.

“For instance, if we chose to demolish and then rebuild the car park this would not only cost significant money, but there would be no way of generating any income to offset it due to the legal agreement in place.”

The car park is a popular and often busy parking resource in the town centre, but has been beset by issues.

In July, council officers were alerted to the presence of “hazardous drug litter” in the multi storey after it was reported in the early hours of the morning.

An “emergency call-out” was conducted, with officers responding and safely dealt with the issue “helping to restore public safety and cleanliness”.