Park and ride could expand to nearby rubbish depot

Canterbury's Wincheap Park and Ride could be extended on to a nearby rubbish depot at a cost of up to £18m.

Local councillors have conceded the option, one of several on the table, is the "least worst plan" available when it comes to increasing capacity at the Ten Perch Road site.

The Kent facility is set to lose almost half of its existing 590 spaces when a new slip road off the A2 is built through the middle of it, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Canterbury City Council (CCC) wants to increase its overall provision to 900 spaces, arguing the new slip road will open up the busiest route into the city and trigger a spike in use.

However, this option would need CCC's Canenco waste depot to be relocated by 2028, with no alternative site having yet been identified.

The existing depot land is also known to be contaminated, meaning remediation would also be required.

In addition, the scheme would require additional bus infrastructure, including a new stop to serve the reconfigured layout.

Other mooted expansion ideas involve building on Thanington Recreation Ground or expanding on to Wincheap Water Meadows - both of which have met with opposition in the past.

Constructing a £25.5m multi-storey car park on the existing site is also an option.

But cabinet members have been asked to recognise the Canenco proposal as the preferred idea, which is expected to cost between £15m and £18m once relocation costs are included.

In a report presented to the CCC's overview committee, transport chief Richard Moore conceded there was "no ideal option", adding that park and ride is central to the council's transport strategy.

"It's the only way that we can intercept traffic before it comes into the city," he said,

"At the moment the strategy is to stop people using city centre car parks unless they absolutely have to or want to pay high sums of money.

"The existing site won't meet the current demand for the A28 once the A2 off-slip goes in.

"You've got to do something for that, or you change the strategy."

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