Plans to build a multi-storey car park in Guiseley have been branded “outdated” and “inappropriate”, after council chiefs signed off more cash to develop the idea. Around £125,000 from a regional fund will be spent on looking at the business case for more parking space in Netherfield Road.
Under the plans, the multi-storey would be built on the site of the road’s existing car park, which is close to Guiseley’s train station. Leeds City Council officers have suggested the scheme will help commuters and boost connectivity, given its proximity to the station.
But the area’s two Conservative ward councillors, Paul Wadsworth and Paul Alderson, have again said the plans should be scrapped, having first expressed concerns during a public consultation last year. They say the world has changed since the scheme first came forward and there is now less demand for the space.
Read more: Woman fighting for her life after car flips in horror Leeds crash
There are also concerns around the impact of such a development on residential neighbours and on traffic.
Councillor Alderson said: “I am against these proposals. The current car park is not currently over-subscribed and there is no reason to think this will change anytime soon. There is no need to press ahead with what is now an outdated and inappropriate scheme for the area.”
Councillor Wadsworth said he too was opposed to the scheme. He said: “We are in a different place after the pandemic, with many people continuing to choose to work from home rather than commute, meaning there is no longer a high demand for parking in this area and certainly no justification for building a multi-storey car park.
“I really think that to proceed with the scheme at this stage would be a waste of money and there needs to be a serious re-think.”
There also remains a question mark over what would happen to the clock tower at the heart of the current car park, if the scheme was to go ahead.
The area’s Labour councillor, Eleanor Thomson, said she hoped the results of the public consultation would be “fully accounted” for when a decision is made.
She also suggested that increasing rail capacity to and from Guiseley should be prioritised over increasing capacity for cars.
“At the moment we have a car park that’s not fully used,” she said. “It was four years ago, but it’s not now. I want to make sure we explore all the possible options. We need to make sure that whatever happens it’s the right thing, in the right place at the right time.”
A council notice confirming its spend on the business case, published earlier this month, said: “The overall programme is designed to support sustainable employment growth in the main urban centres and will particularly benefit commuters, but also support more travel into the urban centres by rail.”
Read next:
Ian Brown gig in Leeds leaves fans fuming as he 'butchers' songs during 'rip off' performance
Woman in hospital for three days after dog poos on her face during afternoon nap
See inside beautiful £1.5m 7-bed Leeds home with huge garden and listed status
Fear after two swans die at Leeds park as public warned not to touch birds
