‘Bridge to nowhere’ could solve Old Town’s parking woes

It is hoped providing up to three hours free parking at the bridge, which is due to open in May, will bring in extra visitors to Whitefriargate and the Old Town, which has struggled in recent years.

Council leader Steve Brady said: “It is a scheme we are very interested in and we will be progressing it as part of the plan for Whitefriargate.

“If you want people to come and have something you eat, visit a museum, I don’t think it is something you can do in a couple of hours. I personally favour up to three hours.

“The policy of city centre car parking has to be relooked at because we are starving city centre businesses of the chance to be successful.”

The bridge was intended to link to a £100m development on the east bank known as the Boom, featuring flats, offices, shops and restaurants, but the project fell victim to the recession.

Coun Brady said parking could provide a good use of the land, which is owned by the Homes and Communities Agency, until developers were secured for the site.

Property broker Paul Fielder, who runs Octagan Property Ltd, came up with the idea after attending a meeting at the Guildhall. He hopes around 200 free spaces can be provided, subject to securing planning permission: “It is really obvious, you have a footbridge which cost £7.5m and it is going nowhere and people are saying they need more footfall.

“The reason it is all going to St Stephen’s is because they have two hours free parking.”

He added: “The owners of the land have said there’s nothing in the title to prevent the use of the land as a car park. I’d hope to see something was done by May when it opens.”

Traders in the indoor market, who have been asking for free parking for years, say they are delighted. Dennis Thornham, of D&L Thornham’s fruit and vegetable stall on the market, said: “It’s a fantastic effort. People refuse to carry heavy bags across town but this would mean they’d only got to go 200 yards to the bridge.

“It would bring Whitefriargate back into play and might even bring some better retailers in and make the area busy again.”

Mr Thornham said since St Stephen’s had opened with two hours free parking they’d seen a 30 per cent decline in trade, although that had levelled off.

He said: “Scunthorpe and Rotherham have introduced free car parking into the areas round the market and that’s instantly made a difference.”

Louise van Gils, who runs a stationers in Hepworth Arcade, said: “To be honest I am amazed that something good is happening at this end of town. We traders need all the help we can. Free parking would be wonderful.”

Other ideas which have come out of consultation include giving students the chance to sell wares in Trinity Square, removing “to let” signs, providing tables outside food businesses and better signposting to the Old Town and Whitefriargate from the transport interchange. The council has also put in a bid for a slice of a £1m Government fund to revive England’s High Streets.

The fund was proposed by retail guru Mary Portas, who was appointed to advise the government on town centres.

Originally scheduled to open in 2010, the bridge has suffered a series of delays because of funding problems.

It will be the first bridge of its kind in the UK to allow people to remain on it as it swings.