Fears new car park plans are 'tick-box exercise'

3 hours ago

Henry DurandLocal Democracy reporter

News image — A digital image of what the Nar Ouse Way active travel hub in King's Lynn could look like

Borough Council of King's Lynn and West Norfolk /Fielden and Mawson A digitalised image showing a man riding a bicycle past a row of bollards heading towards a covered cycle park area with green trees, grass and street lights also visible. — A digital image of what the Nar Ouse Way active travel hub in King's Lynn could look like

A Norfolk council has deferred plans for a new travel hub after councillors questioned its purpose and called it a "tick-box exercise".

The Borough Council of King's Lynn and West Norfolk had been recommended to approve a 236-space car park on the southern edge of the town, as part of a £4.1m scheme to improve connectivity.

The proposed site, on Nar Ouse Way at the King's Lynn Enterprise Park, was designed to encourage people to park and then walk or take the bus into the town centre.

It would include storage for 48 bicycles, showers and changing rooms, but concerns were raised about who would use the facility and how it would be accessed.

Ahead of Monday's planning meeting, the King's Lynn and West Norfolk Bicycle Users Group objected to the plans, citing "fundamental design flaws that make the development unsafe".

The group said access points to the site were "poorly designed" and "of substandard width", adding that safe cycling would only be possible from a limited number of nearby roads.

It also questioned how creating 236 new parking spaces would reduce the number of cars in the town.

"It is incredible that the applicant seeks permission for a new 236-space car park but claims that it is not expected the development will result in any net increase in vehicle movements," it said.

Borough Council of King's Lynn and West Norfolk A road leads up to a roundabout with grass growing in the middle and a red ring around it. Grey buildings can be seen in the distance. — The roundabout near the proposal

Several councillors echoed those concerns.

Pallavi Devulapalli, an independent member, said: "I'm struggling to understand who would use this and why. This feels very much like a tick-box exercise."

Members voted to defer the application so it can be reviewed by the council's regeneration and development panel.

Conservative councillor Anthony Bubb said: "I don't want to vote for something that in five years' time is boarded up as a white elephant."

The delay could affect funding deadlines. The scheme forms part of a £25m Town Deal programme, with some of the money required to be spent by September 2026.

Any further delay risks those grants being lost entirely, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

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