A six-day-a-week park and ride scheme for Colchester has moved a step closer to realisation.

Planning applications for the new development, thought to be up and running by 2006, will be put before Colchester Council's planning committee this week and form part of a wider regeneration plan for North Colchester.

The service will run from the proposed new community stadium car park at Cuckoo Farm, which will have about 667 car parking spaces.

The stadium itself will be the new home of Colchester United and the car park will be big enough to cater for shoppers as well as football fans and those attending other sporting activities or conferences.

The new service will run six days a week and although parking will be free the bus service will charge a fare.

It will be subsidised by Colchester Council at first, but is hoped to become self sufficient.

Transport policy manager for Colchester Council, Andrew Budd, explained that if the park and ride can attract 500 customers a day, self sufficiency should happen within the first few years.

The wider regeneration plan includes the 10,000 seater multi-use community stadium, about 1,500 new homes, 3,500 new jobs at various industrial businesses moving to the Severalls Hospital site, and new schools.

Mr Budd said the only thing that could hold the project up is the proposed new junction with the A12, which, he said "could cause the most difficulty in the short term."

Also included in the plans are improvements to Colchester General Hospital and the possibility of a new medical school.

But a proper park and ride will also spell the end for some of Colchester's car parks.

Mr Budd said Priory Street and Vineyard Street car parks are two that will definitely be for the chop once the scheme is up and running because these run down car parks do little to promote the town.

The North Station park and ride will also be given the boot in favour of the new scheme as it was only intended as a stop-gap service.

Published Monday, June 9, 2003

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