A major new car park has opened in Keswick.
The 70-space facility in Skiddaw Street is behind the Keswick Convention building.
The site is owned by Keswick Ministries, the charity that runs the convention, which is moving to its new base at the old pencil factory.
It says the new car park will ease parking problems in the so-called “back streets” area where there are many guest houses and B&B businesses and where there has been concern about a lack of parking spaces.
The new off-street parking spaces can be accessed through gateways on Skiddaw Street, either side of the convention building.
It is operated by Cumbria Parking Services, a company which manages other car parks in Keswick and throughout the UK.
The firm will also manage the car parks at the Rawnsley Centre and the pencil factory.
“We are very pleased to be able to provide these additional car parking spaces in Skiddaw Street which we believe will be of significant benefit to the town,” said David Sawday, of Keswick Ministries.
“It is aimed for periods of longer stay, so should be particularly useful for guest house visitors and local residents, without increasing traffic in the area,” he added.
Parking on the site is through a permit system for periods ranging from three days at £15 to one year at £350.
Keswick has been extremely quiet because of lockdown since the car park opened but it is expected to get busier next week after smaller holiday lets reopen, along with non-essential shops, which have been closed all year.
Parking problems in the town had led Glenn Savage to form the Fair Parking For Keswick campaign group. Mr Savage, from nearby Blencathra Street, had worked with Keswick Town Council and their efforts led to a local transport study being set up by the county and borough councils, working with the Lake District National Park Authority.
That was before the coronavirus pandemic and as yet, no tangible changes have been implemented in terms of car parking and its residential roads are expected to become clogged once visitors return and many choose to stay there for free rather than paying town centre car parking fees of up to nearly £10 a day.
The problem also involves people who work in Keswick as they face paying £70 for a six-month parking permit for Allerdale Borough Council’s car parks, while annual passes for other people cost £460 and do not guarantee a space.
Meanwhile, plans are going ahead to hold the 2021 Keswick Convention for three weeks from July 17-23 at the pencil factory, with social distancing, face masks and reduced capacity venues.
The annual Christian gathering has been running for nearly 150 years and usually attracts more than 12,000 visitors to Keswick each year.
They come from all over the UK and abroad, although international travel is restricted this year because of the pandemic.
