Appeal over Biggleswade parking

Members of the Biggleswade Chamber of Trade and Biggleswade Town Council want to put more pressure on Central Beds Council to add more car parks to the town centre in line with the Biggleswade Masterplan.

At a meeting of the town council’s off street car parking committee earlier this month councillors agreed to set up a new liaison group to speak directly to Central Beds and the Highways Agency about the issue.

Councillors hope that the group, comprising committee chairman Councillor Steve Watkins, vice chairman Madeleine Russell and clerk Rob McGregor can convince Central Beds that more parking is needed, especially to bring more shoppers into Biggleswade.

Mr Watkins said: “At our meeting we discussed a review of town centre parking in Biggleswade and agreed to set up the new group.

“We believe that it will be more effective for the group to communicate directly with Central Beds and the Highways Agency rather than having to go through the town council as a whole all the time.”

Martin Thomas, chairman of the Biggleswade Chamber of Trade, believes more parking spaces are essential if the town is to be rejuvenated.

He said: “Now that Aldi has introduced the new 90-minute parking restrictions at its car parks the only major free and unlimited car park in the town centre is the Rose Lane car park, and that is used largely by commuters and people who work in the town.

“It is vital that if the enhancement of Bonds Lane and Hitchin Street are to take place as mapped out in the Masterplan that we have more car parking available.

“The new Marks and Spencer store will also help to bring more shoppers to the town, but if say 800 people park at the Retail Park and a lot want to come into the town centre as well, how are we going to accommodate them?”

Councillor Brian Spurr, executive member for sustainable communities services at Central Beds Council said “Central Bedfordshire Council is working together with Biggleswade Town Council to develop an approach to manage parking within the town centre to facilitate the regeneration of Biggleswade.

“Off street car parks are a very important aspect of managing parking within Biggleswade and the councils are jointly looking at the best ways of securing the long term future of the existing car parks, as well as options to improve, increase and to better manage existing off street parking.”