An extra 40 parking spaces are to be created on a busy housing estate close to community facilities.
It is to cost £65,000 for the work which is set to take place early in the new year in and around the Moreton Hall Community Centre and at the rear of the Tesco store and Christ’s Church.
A meeting was held between St Edmundsbury Borough Council, leaders from the area and councillors to thrash out plans for the new spaces which will involve removing the existing parking bays and moving them onto the playing field.
It will not encroach on the football area but will provide the thriving area with additional parking for those using the facilites which also includes a doctors’ surgery, Post Office and other businesses.
Frank Warby, the town and borough councillor for Moreton Hall, said: “We need these extra parking spaces to cater for people who come to use the community centre, the Post Office and the surgery and although we will lose a bit of ground we will gain new car parking spaces.
“We did look at putting them behind the community centre but that would have cost us £100,000 so we went for moving the bays.”
He said signs say that parking is limited to three hours Monday to Saturday and four hours on Sundays and Bank Holidays with a no return within two hours.
One sign in the Moreton Hall Community Centre car parks states that a £70 fine will be issued by the borough council for those abusing the regulations including overstaying the alloted time, parking out of the bays and parking in blue badge bays without displaying a valid blue badge.
Meanwhile, the play area which borders Heldlaw Road, Orrtewell Road and Symonds Road is due to have the play equipment installed in the next few days, said Mr Warby. That is set to cost up to £20,000.
The contract has been won by Kompan, who specialise in supplying the equipment and who are required to install it before Christmas.
“We had the fitness area installed over the summer and now the play equipment is set to go back,” said Mr Warby.
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