Scrap expansion of Heathside Crescent Car Park, Woking.

Scrap expansion of Heathside Crescent Car Park

Liberal Democrat councillors for Mount Hermon Ian Johnson and Liam Lyons have called for the expansion of Heathside Crescent car park to be scrapped.

The planning application by the council to redevelop the three storey Heathside Crescent car park and extend it to six storeys has been roundly criticised by local residents. The planning committee deferred the application in September due to concerns about design, highway safety and air pollution.

Councillor Johnson said:

"The proposed new car park is brutalist in design and bears no relationship to, and will harm, the local area. It is a step up in size but a step down in quality from the existing design which fits in well".

Importantly, a new access into White Rose Lane has been ill-conceived and raises concerns about highway safety. Many pedestrians use the footpath and to create that additional access creates a risk we should avoid. Traffic queueing to enter the car park will also be a recipe for a big increase in air pollution.

My ward colleague, Cllr Liam Lyons, and I believe the Council should drop the plan completely and revisit it in due course as part of a review of parking needs in the borough."

Cllr Lyons said "There is a lot of building taking place in the area and we simply do not need yet more disruption. The Council should focus on finishing other works and letting the area settle down before embarking on yet another project."