October 18, 2012 2.51 pm This story is over 136 months old

New car parks on the cards for Lincoln

Better parking: City Council said that it will trial pay on exit at some of its car parks to boost retail in the city centre.

The City of Lincoln Council said that it will trial pay on exit at some of its car parks to boost retail in the city centre.

Speaking at the Future Challenge for Retail in Lincoln conference at DoubleTree by Hilton on Thursday, City Council Leader Ric Metcalfe also said plans are being developed to build a new multistorey car park on Tentercroft Street.

Councillor Metcalfe led the conference, attended by more than 100 local influencers from the public and private sector.

Speakers also included Ursula Lidbetter, CEO at Lincolnshire Co-operative, and Emma Tatlow from the Visit Lincoln Partnership.

Better and more flexible parking in Lincoln was a theme highlighted by all the speakers, and the City Council said it is already looking into bringing some of the suggestions into practice.

Ursula Lidbetter, CEO at Lincolnshire Co-operative

Ursula Lidbetter suggested in her talk that pay on exit parking should be implemented in the city, so that visitors can shop at will, without having to limit their time in the shops because of worrying about parking time.

She said: “We need to take away the irritations and add the motivations to make Lincoln the destination where people want to be in the future.”

Speaking to The Lincolnite, City Council Leader Ric Metcalfe said the idea of pay on exit makes good sense: “I think we’ve got to look at that, but not all of our car parks will be amenable to it for all sorts of reasons.

“We’d soon like to trial [pay on exit] in a suitable location, because we heard today that enables people not to be worried how long they are going to stay in the city, so it seems to make good sense to us.

“We need sustainable solutions to movement in and out of the city. We will be looking closely at how adequate our current parking provision is with the review of the parking strategy.

City Council Leader Ric Metcalfe

“In terms of providing more and more city car parking in a very compact historic city like Lincoln is not going to be a long-term answer. We have to explore solutions such as park and ride, but also a greater trend towards the use of public transport.”

Once the Lincoln Eastern Bypass will be completed, the City Council will look at creating park and ride facilities in the area.

Another road development in Lincoln, the East West Link Road, would also unlock the potential for a multistorey car park on Tentercroft Street, instead of the current outdoor car park.

Ric Metcalfe added: “A multi-storey car park on Tentercroft Street is certainly under consideration. No final decision has been made yet, but it is on the south side of the railway line, and with the link road in the next couple of years, that could be a strategic location for a multistorey car park.”

Photos: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite