Parking charges at Kings Chase Shopping Centre in Kingswood are set to be lifted as part of a major revamp of the town. Plans to remove existing charges at the shopping centre, which was bought by the council last year for £10million, are set to be approved next week and come into effect in May.
A masterplan for Kingswood high street includes a leisure centre and cinema, and will also see the pedestrianisation of part of Regent Street. It is set to be approved at a cabinet meeting on Monday, April 4, along with free car parking for shoppers.
It follows a review of the charges by South Gloucestershire Council after a campaign led by Kingswood MP Chris Skidmore gained support from residents and businesses. There are currently around 350 parking spaces at Kings Chase, with an hour's parking costing approximately 80p.
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The charges are set to be dropped in May as part of local tories' "longstanding policy to keep council-owned car parks free." It comes as car parking charges are being introduced at Bristol City Council-owned beauty spots including Blaise Castle, Snuff Mills and Oldbury Court.
Cllr Toby Savage, Leader of South Gloucestershire Council, said: “We are committed to seeing our high streets and town centres thrive and being able to provide free parking is an important part of our plan to encourage more people to visit, shop and enjoy them without unnecessary extra costs. I am pleased we are set to approve free parking for Kings Chase as part of the Kingswood Masterplan, furthering the efforts of local Conservatives to transform the town centre in a way not seen for decades with a ground-breaking multimillion-pound investment programme.”
Kingswood MP Chris Skidmore added: “I am delighted that South Gloucestershire Council has backed this well-supported campaign and listened to calls from local residents and businesses to make parking free at Kings Chase. As one of the last councils in the country to offer free parking, it is fantastic to see them taking this further step to support the community and give people more reason to support local traders by shopping locally and avoiding out-of-town shopping.”
It comes after South Gloucestershire Council approved a feasibility study into building a new leisure centre last year. The decision was among a raft of moves signed off by the Conservative administration in December to progress the £25million redevelopment of Kingswood High Street.
Plans include the pedestrianisation of part of Regent Street and the restoration of Park Road’s derelict former church, the Grade-I listed Whitfield Tabernacle. A new public park will be created from the cemetery of the Grade-II listed Masters Church, which sits beside the tabernacle and is being privately developed by Crossman Homes as 19 apartments.
The Kings Chase redevelopment also includes apartments and office/hot-desk hub. Public feedback showed “a strong appetite for a new leisure centre and for a mix of uses in a Kings Chase redevelopment."
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