A new car park will open in Loftus on Friday, July 9th, the first scheme delivered by the Council as part of the wider Loftus Masterplan, to transform Loftus Town Centre.
The Handale Car Park located to the south of Loftus Police Station will feature:
- 35 parking spaces close to Loftus High Street;
- 3 additional spaces for disabled parking;
- A layby for mini-bus drop-offs;
- 4 EV charging points;
- Infrastructure for future CCTV.
The project was a response to the lack of sufficient parking spaces in the centre of the town. A recent assessment showed a shortfall of minimum 100 parking spaces in Loftus that acts as a limitation to attract visitors. In the 2020 Loftus Regeneration public consultation, 66% of respondents acknowledged the lack of car parking as one of the biggest issues affecting Loftus.
The new car park will provide the much needed space for High Street customers, businesses and will complement the only other existing car park located at North Road.
The project was funded by Tees Valley Combined Authority and will support the wider plans being developed as part of the Government's multi-million-pound Future High Street Fund which was awarded to the council to revamp Loftus High Street.
The Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Cllr Wayne Davies, stated: 'We are committed to our plan to transform and raise the value of the Loftus High Street to attract more visitors to the area, create more jobs for the residents and help the local businesses.
The Handale car park is a first step towards this goal. The limited number of parking spaces has been an issue for the Loftus community. This addition will contribute to the local economy and the town's social value, creating better conditions both for residents and businesses and allowing more visitors to stop and frequent the town centre.'