A DIVERSE mix of extra car parking space will be opened up to town centre shoppers when the market multi-storey car park is demolished later this year.
Almost 500 parking spaces will go when demolition takes place towards the end of the year, with a further 80 to go in the market basement, and 23 in the adjacent Lambra Road car park.
But the council has already made detailed plans to make sure there is enough space to accommodate shoppers and football fans on Saturdays to try and make sure nobody is put off from coming to town for fear of not getting parked.
Some of the council’s own staff car parks which are only used from Monday to Friday will be opened for free to shoppers on Saturdays, and deals have been struck with other organisations to use their car parks. These include 140 spaces at Gateway Plaza, 70 at The Core, County Way, 50 at Barnsley College’s Eastgate site, and 28 at the privately operated Wellington Street car park - all of which will be available for free on Saturdays once the market car park closes.
There will also be an extra 40 spaces created at the John Street Car Park near Morrisons by demolishing an unused council building, and another 25 spaces will be created by redrawing lines more efficiently in existing car parks.
About 370 additional spaces have so far been allocated. In addition, an extra 139 on-street parking bays will become free to use on Saturdays - they currently remain chargeable but are hardly used when free parking is available elsewhere.
There will also be changes to the time limits on free car parks create short-stay and long-stay zones to maintain availability of spaces.
Leader of Barnsley Council Sir Steve Houghton said: “Throughout the redevelopment our priorities are; to make sure that people can still easily access the town centre, whether that’s to shop, work, or run their businesses, and to maintain the offer of free weekend parking.
“The changes we are making will mitigate the impact of the closure of the multi-storey car park later this year.
“By creating a shoppers’ zone and a long stay parking zone and utilising private car parking spaces that are not used during weekends, we can ensure that better use is made of the available space. Free Parking within 400 metres of the main shopping area will be prioritised for customers who wish to stay for up to three hours.
“A date has yet to be confirmed for the demolition of the multi-storey car park, but we are keen to reassure people that the preparations we are making now will facilitate a smooth transition to new town centre facilities and ensure that Barnsley town centre, Barnsley Markets and The Glass Works are a destination for everyone to enjoy.
“We will make sure that people are fully aware and well informed about the changes through a range of communications and new signage.”
A new, modern multi-storey car park will be included as part of The Glass Works scheme scheduled to open in 2020.
