A new car park in Bath which was sitting unused until a planned opening next year will instead open tomorrow to support local businesses in the run up to Christmas, it has been announced.
Photo © Stephen Sumner
Bath & North East Somerset Council has said that the Green Park car park will open earlier than planned on Friday 5th November to provide additional short stay car parking to help support the economic recovery of businesses.
The short-stay car park was due to open in February next year and was built to mitigate the loss of car parking spaces when Avon Street car park is demolished for the construction of Bath Quays North.
The temporary car park, on the former site of the Riverside coach park, provides 104 spaces, of which five are disabled spaces.
Visitors will be able to pay for parking via the MiPermit system, which is cashless.
Pricing on MiPermit indicates the short-stay pricing will be:
- 30 minutes – £1.30
- 1 hour – £2.50
- 2 hours – £3.50
- 3 hours – £4.50
The Saturday farmers market will continue to be provided with free parking on Saturdays within Green Park Road until further notice.
Councillor Manda Rigby, cabinet member for Transport, said: “Green Park car park was built to mitigate the loss of car parking when Avon Street is pulled down as part of the Bath Quays North scheme.
“Work on the car park was completed ahead of the demolition next year and so it makes sense to open it in the run up to Christmas for shoppers and visitors and support the economic recovery of the city.”
Bath Quays North will transform the Avon Street Car Park and former coach park site into 246,237 sq. ft of modern office space as well as retail units, residential accommodation, a hotel, a new 413 space basement car park and extensive public realm improvements.
Outline planning permission for the development was granted in April 2019.
