PROPOSALS to create an additional 32 on-street parking spaces in Leicester’s Cultural Quarter are to be put forward by the city council.
The council plans to consult on removing double yellow lines from a number of streets in the area and replacing them with pay and display parking bays.
It’s also proposing that parking limits be extended from three hours to five hours, enabling visitors to stay in the area for longer. Parking in the bays will continue to be free of charge after 6pm.
If approved following the statutory consultation process, work would begin on the new bays in the summer.
In the short term, the council also plans to temporarily convert 11 pay and display spaces into disabled parking bays. These will be open to Blue Badge holders only, and free to park in for up to five hours.
This will help disabled visitors to Curve and other attractions in the area, who have been affected by the recent closure of the NCP’s Rutland Centre car park.
Work to convert the bays will be completed this month. The temporary disabled bays will be reviewed as part of the wider scheme to improve on-street parking arrangements in the area.
The parking proposals are part of a package of improvement works already under way in the area.
The council is currently upgrading footpaths on Yeoman Street, with works set to follow on Church Street and Colton Street. The work is being carried out in phases to avoid disruption.
Improvements include lifting and resetting kerbs and resurfacing footpaths in an amber gold resin bound gravel that’s used across the Cultural Quarter. Drainage is being redesigned to improve surface water run-off.
Cllr Geoff Whittle, assistant city mayor for environment and transport, said: “The Cultural Quarter boasts some of the city’s most popular visitor attractions and is a busy hub for workers and residents.
“There are several car parks within a few minutes’ walk, but we know that the closure of the Rutland Centre car park has hit people with disabilities wanting to visit the area.
“We are therefore taking immediate action to increase the number of dedicated disabled parking spaces in the cultural quarter, prior to removing parking restrictions across the wider area and creating more pay and display bays.
"Important maintenance works are also under way in the area to remove signs of wear and tear and ensure the footpaths are in good shape for years to come.
“We are also taking the opportunity to upgrade some of the materials used to create a more welcoming and attractive environment for residents, visitors and local businesses.”
All of the work is expected to cost around £800,000 and will be funded from the Government’s Local Transport Grant.
The council is also developing a wider programme of environmental improvements for the Cultural Quarter that will go out for public consultation later in the Spring.