Witney News - Work on new car park starts soon

Work on new car park starts soon

Work is all set to start on 19th November (Monday) on a new temporary car park at the former council depot off Woodford Way, Witney, to replace the existing facility in Welch Way.

Designed to provide 250 long-term parking spaces, the Woodford Way car park will open in January and be a major part of the parking arrangements to be put in place during construction of the £40 million Marriotts Close development, due for completion in Autumn 2009.

In addition to shops, cafes, a restaurant, cinema, recreational open space and around 190 new homes, the development will include a multi-storey car park with 590 spaces.

"Our priority has been to make sure as many alternative parking spaces as possible are available to people driving in to Witney to shop, work or visit as the Marriotts Close development takes shape," says Council Leader, Cllr Barry Norton.

"To avoid disruption to the Christmas trade that is so important to shops and traders in the town centre, construction on that site is not scheduled to start until January."

In addition to the 250 long-stay spaces at Woodford Way, new parking arrangements will include:-

90 spaces on Saturdays, Sundays and during school holidays time at Abingdon & Witney College which will be reserved for employees of local shops and businesses to free up spaces for shoppers elsewhere;.
Allocating the majority of the Woolgate Centre car park as short-stay spaces for shoppers to speed up vehicle turnover there;
Providing 30 extra road side spaces by temporarily removing yellow lines.

On top of these arrangements, long term parking will be available at the artificial turf pitch car park on Gordon Way and at Cogges Farm Museum car park, both of which are easily accessible for motorists willing to walk the rest of the short journey to and from the town centre.