Cornwall Council has said that Truro’s Moorfield car park, which closed its upper floors last week following an inspection, has reached the end of its “design life” and that remedial work is needed to extend its life. unlikely to be financially feasible or sustainable.
The ground floor and exterior sections of the 680-space parking lot off Calenick Street, as well as a parking area for reserved permit holders, are still open, but the multi-story sections (decks four through nine) closed abruptly on Tuesday, May. 21.
The local authority was responding to criticism from former Truro mayor Bert Biscoe that it had been known “for some considerable time that the structural condition of the high-rise needed to be carefully managed”.
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A council spokesman said: “Safety is paramount and our aim has been to keep the car park open for as long as possible while it has been safe to do so. Any decision affecting the parking capacity of cars is not taken lightly and so it must be based on strong evidence.
“Built in the 1970s and, like similar structures across the country, the car park is reaching the end of its design life. Specialist advice has been sought on the structure and the frequency of inspections has recently increased.
“As the structure has reached the end of its design life and design standards have changed since the parking lot was built, it is unlikely that remedial work to extend its life indefinitely will be feasible and financially sustainable Last week’s decision to close the upper floors was based on the latest inspection.
“We are in the process of considering whether arrangements can be made to reopen some of the sections in the short term. In the meantime we are also looking at park and ride options for the city.”
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There is increased pressure on parking in the city since the demolition of Carrick House and Viaduct car parks last year to make way for the Pydar development, so the sudden loss of most of the parking at Moorfield has shocked Truro residents and visitors -s.
It also shocked former Cornwall councilor Bert Biscoe, who is urging Truro City Council to seek a mitigation plan from Cornwall Council to replace the lost parking capacity at Moorfield, as well as removing a charge of £31.50 if people park for more than three hours in the town’s Old Bridge Street car park and to provide convenient parking in the town center for visiting bus parties.
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In his letter to current mayor Carol Swain, he said: “I am writing to ask you to write in the strongest possible terms to the leader and CEO of Cornwall Council to ask that a plan be put in place mitigator, in Cornwall.Council spending to replace lost capacity, remove punitive charges and support the city in countering the negative branding caused by its recent actions is based on a flexible combination of delivery.
“I believe that Cornwall Council should engage with Truro… and ensure that it recognizes the need for fair and adequate parking for both cars and coaches, and will work urgently to restore Moorfield to full capacity, will remove the penalty charge at Old Bridge Route and Charge from 9am to 6pm, and will change the current situation at the Fairmantle bus park so that we can provide our visiting customers with a convenient service , safe and substantial.”
The council has highlighted that parking is available at Truro Park and Ride, which has a total of 2,588 spaces split between its Langarth and Tregurra sites with day tickets costing £2.40. Regular users can benefit from discounts through multi-day tickets.
A list of alternative Cornwall Council car parks in the area can be found here.