Major car parking changes on the cards for Lancaster - including number plate recognition

Car parking has been a debating point among councillors in recent years as the city changes.

Now, councillors on Lancaster City Council’s cabinet are being asked to approve fresh funding for car park-related work by officers. It comes after consultation last year on capacity in the city centre.

Feedback called for a clearer, phased and ‘pragmatic approach’ to parking provision if current sites, particularly in the Canal Quarter, are to be used for new housing or business uses, according to a cabinet report.

The feedback also called for improved data collection and analysis, better communication and transparency around consultation, and the alignment of a parking strategy with broader city planning and transport developments.

People also want more certainty on locations, feasibility of new parking, green transport and multi-storey car park hubs, if these are to be part of future arrangements.

Council officers have done more work since the autumn consultation, including a focus on developing tender documents and procurement arrangements for automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) across city council car parks in central Lancaster, as well as the reopening of the Castle Car Park.

A new report for the cabinet states: “ANPR is seen as a crucial first step in securing better car park management and real-time customer information.

"Benefits include having more accurate data from car parks for regeneration work, parking services analysis and city centre development, and the ability to share live data about car park occupancy with the public will reduce city centre congestion and pollution.”

A new draft Lancaster city centre parking strategy and action plan is to be completed with specific proposals, but first council officers need councillors’ approval for funds for further work.

Edward Street could also be extended this autumn at a cost of £10,000. A second phase there could cost £150,000 to £200,000.

Elsewhere, the Kingsway site could be extended this year or next for £400,000 to £600,000. The Castle Car park, which the city council leases from an owner, could also be refurbished.

In the report, Coun Nick Williamson has made various recommendations to the cabinet, to approve spending £118,000 on work to cover feasibility, design development and project management costs regarding possible car park extensions, as well as to allocate £232,000 for automatic number plate recognition.

Lancaster City Council forecasts £7.9m in income over the next three years from its city centre car parks, according to the report.

A revised draft city centre parking strategy will be presented to a future cabinet meeting.