FREE car parking is back in Bury and hundreds of drivers have been taking advantage of it

Temporary parking for 500 cars at Castlecroft has been arranged by Bury Council to counter the loss of town centre spaces up to September.

If the scheme proves successful it could be extended until the new Mill Gate multi-storey car park is fully operational.

Work on Phase Two of the shopping centre will see the loss of around 440 car parking spaces while the development takes place.

Currently the Castlecroft alternative is free - but Council chiefs are warning that this is only temporary and a fee may be introduced at a later date.

Says traffic and engineering sub-committee chairman Councillor Sean Cassidy: "I would love to see free car parking back in Bury as it used to be, but in the current financial situation that seems most unlikely.

"The Castlecroft site is a bit of an experiment and we were not too sure how the public would respond; particularly as the site is located a little way out from the town centre.

"However, the car park is currently manned, and, with high security, that has encouraged drivers to leave their vehicles."

Mentioning the on-going debate about Bury's decision to implement cart parking charges Councillor Cassidy continued: "That continues - even though we have probably the lowest fees of any of the major towns of Greater Manchester.

"It is and always has been our intention to provide facilities for motorists in Bury and I think that is underlined by what I see as a very astute move in offering this new car park at Castlecroft."

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