Free parking changes planned for Preston city centre

The well-used row of four free spaces – on Church Street, opposite Guild Row – offers half an hour of free parking between 8am and 6.30pm, Monday to Saturday. Outside of those hours – and from 6.30pm on Sundays – it operates as a taxi rank.

However, Lancashire County Council is now planning to shift the bays – and the rank – a short distance away to Church Row, where the same time restrictions will apply, including a ban on drivers returning to any of the parking spaces within an hour of leaving.

A report by highways offices at the authority states that the proposal is designed to ensure buses can exit the nearby stop on Church Street “in a safe and timely manner, improving bus services and preventing delays for the bus user”.

It adds that the ban on parking and loading that will be put in place where the spaces currently stand will prevent “obstructive parking” – vehicles can often be seen parked beyond the extent of the area where short waits are permitted – while the relocated bays will “improve the amenities of Preston by providing a suitable place for people to park short term in the town centre area”.

The spaces will be installed in two sections on Church Row – the larger one being opposite Hammond’s Row and the smaller one close to the Church Street junction – and appear from plans as though they will accommodate several more vehicles than the arrangement they replace.

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An evening and overnight taxi rank currently exists on Church Row, part of which will be lost to one of two goods loading and unloading bays that will also be installed on the street, to facilitate deliveries to local businesses “at any time, without causing obstructions on the highway network”, the County Hall highways report explains.

A consultation on the plans closes on 18th April. Any objections – stating the grounds on which they are being made – should be emailed to [email protected], quoting ref: LSG4\894.20326\AFR

They can also be posted to: Director of Law and Governance, Lancashire County Council, PO Box 100, County Hall, Preston PR1 0LD.