A SCHEME to increase the number of car parking spaces as a result of the town centre’s ongoing regeneration has been approved.
The Glass Works complex, the newly-opened Library @ the Lightbox and forthcoming plans for a so-called ‘digital campus’ on County Way and the Eastern Gateway scheme, off Schwabisch Gmund Way, will result in more spaces being required, according to a report which was discussed by ruling cabinet members on Wednesday.
The schemes, when finished, are expected to increase footfall by 11 per cent - equivalent to 100,000 more visitors per month.
The town centre’s parking strategy, which runs until 2025, also includes creating more charging points for electric vehicles - boosting the current number of five to 45.
Cabinet spokesman Coun Chris Lamb said: “We have a constantly changing town centre at the minute and we’re expecting a lot more visitors as the years go by.
“With the investment that’s being made, visitors’ expectations are higher, so parking requires a strategy as Barnsley is becoming a more popular destination.”
