Parking places in the Lake District will be in high demand this year, a member of the authority which covers the national park has warned.
A meeting of the Lake District National Park yesterday heard from member Tony Lywood, who is also a councillor for Cumbria County Council, about what they could expect during the season ahead as the lockdown restrictions to limit the spread of coronavirus could be eased.
He said: “We need to let landowners know that car parks will be full this season.
“There will be more than enough cars in the park, meaning that we should use land that we don’t normally use for parking this summer.”
Kerry Powell, director of communications and resources at the LDNPA, said that plans are already in place to ensure demand could be met.
She said: “Ahead of what is expected to be a very busy summer with international travel restrictions still in place, the LDNPA, along with Cumbria Tourism, district and county councils, have been working together to prepare for increased visitor numbers to the National Park.
“In 2020, our temporary car parks increased the number of spaces by about 20 per cent.
“Our car park delivery group has been working with many landowners to build on this progress and we expect the number of spaces available in peak season to be increased further on last year.
“In many cases the new 56-day rule to open temporary parking places this summer will come into effect.
“We are also working to provide better temporary signs for visitors to find available car parks and we’re also looking at reacting to the reality in which we find ourselves in.
“For example, if coach travel isn’t allowed for a period of time, then our coach bays can be deployed for cars, which in some areas increases available spaces by a further 10 per cent.”
