Beverley Park and Ride: Plan that has been decades in the making would 'run at a loss'

A 500-space facility is proposed for a site off Minster Way, to the south of the town. However, a report to East Riding Council’s ruling cabinet warns the site is likely to run at a loss due to the level of demand and cheaper alternative parking options closer to the town centre.

The report suggests the facility would represent poor value for money at a time when the authority is trying to reign in spending amid financial challenges. Detailed plans for the facility were lodged in 2021, after the concept was first proposed almost 20 years ago.

Councillors serving Beverley wards have supported the plans and the report states they would not support any proposal to scrap it. In 2021, Coun Denis Healy said a park-and-ride was long overdue and would bring immeasurable benefits.

Originally, the proposals were put forward to help ease demand for limited parking spaces in the centre of Beverley. Developers of a nearby housing estate would foot the bill for building the park and ride, estimated to be £2.5m in 2021, with the council running the facility.

According to a legal agreement between the council and the developer, no more than 234 homes on a nearby housing estate can be occupied until the 500-space park and ride is in place and available to the public. The only works completed to date are for an access road, which leads to the site where the car park would be built.

The council would pay for three buses for the facility at a cost of at least £180,000 each. According to the report, the park-and-ride would cost around £350,000 to £450,000 to run each year, with money raised from the facility unlikely to cover the outlay, meaning that it would require ongoing subsidies. The extra money would have to come from borrowing or by cutting spending on other projects, the report states.

In addition, drivers travelling to the park and ride would increase local traffic, the report states. Demand has decreased since Covid, meanwhile, because council staff, predicted to be the main users during weekdays, travel into Beverley less since the rise in home working. A 500-space multi-storey car park built at Flemingate in 2015 has also led to a reduction in demand from students and staff of East Riding College.

According to the report, park-and-ride charges of £6-8 a day would be undercut by other car parking options. A consultation with organisations including Beverley Town Council, the Civil Society and Chamber of Trade found opinions were mixed, with some supporting the park and ride, and others suggesting it should be ditched.

The report states: “Car parking supply and demand in Beverley has changed markedly since the concept of a park and ride for the town was developed almost 20 years ago. The park and ride was developed with the aim of reducing traffic volumes in Beverley town centre and improving journey times and reliability for drivers.

“The location to the south of Beverley will require drivers travelling in from the north, west and east to divert to access the site. These diversions will add traffic to existing routes, extending the length and time of these journeys.

“Drivers will then have to park, wait for a bus and travel along estate roads before joining the dedicated route in to Flemingate with other traffic. As such, the park and ride odes not offer a significant time saving for drivers compared to driving directly into the town centre. Analysis undertaken in July 2023 indicated that there was a high number of spare parking spaces across all Beverley’s town centre car parks on all days of the week.”