Bishop's Stortford parking: New multi-storey at Northgate End to open Monday as Causeway car park closes for good
It's all change for drivers coming into Bishop's Stortford town centre as a new car park opens and another one closes.
The Northgate End multi-storey will open to drivers for the first time at 7am on Monday (June 13) and The Causeway car park will close at the same time, although a spokeswoman for East Herts Council warned motorists not to park there overnight on Sunday.
Closure of The Causeway car park and the barring of public access to the Charringtons car park beside it is to make way for the council's proposed Old River Lane development.
The loss of 241 parking spaces from The Causeway car park and 47 from Charringtons will bring to 484 the total that will have disappeared taking the original Northgate End car park (196) into account.
But the opening of the new multi-storey at Northgate End will release 573 new bays, including 28 for blue badge holders, 54 electric vehicle spaces and 10 for motorcyclists. Unlike The Causeway. it will cater for long stay.
Although initially payment was mooted to be on a cashless basis, with pay-by-phone offered as the predominant option, car park operator East Herts Council will maintain cash payments for the time being.
Charges at Northgate End Mondays to Saturdays are: 1 hour - 90p; 2hr - £1.80; 3hr - £2.40; 4hr - £3.20; 5hr - £3.90; all day - £4.80. Drivers are charged £1 for all day on Sunday.
There has been criticism of the council's decision to charge on Sundays and also that access will be barred from 11pm, sparking accusations that East Herts is not helping to stimulate the night-time economy.
Retailers had called for the Causeway and Charringtons car parks to remain open in the interim for use by their staff and shoppers. However, their closure is a condition of planning permission for the multi-storey.
Critics are also concerned closure of The Causeway car park could create an eyesore as it will be six months before the site is handed over to the council's development partner CityHeart at the start of 2023 for the first phase of the Old River Lane project.
The district council is determined to create a “cultural quarter” featuring a new arts centre, public square, homes, restaurants and shops on The Causeway.
However, a planning application has not yet been submitted, prompting fears the council’s estimate is unrealistic and that the land could become a wasteland for far longer without firm alternative proposals.
