Potential improvements shortlisted in Penrith Parking and Movement Study

The Penrith Parking and Movement Study is a collaborative project between Cumbria County Council, Eden District Council and Penrith Town Council. The project was developed to consider potential options to improve parking in Penrith, whilst seeking to enhance walking and cycling provision between car parks and the town centre, employment areas and the rail and bus stations.

The study began in November 2019 by collecting information to understand the use of off-street car parks and to assess the demand for, and use of, on-street parking provision. Additional information was also available from consultations undertaken by Penrith Town Council and Eden District Council.

Face to face surveys were undertaken with people using Penrith’s car parks, and views from a wide range of stakeholders on existing parking and movement issues in the town were captured through an online survey.

A workshop was held in January 2020, which provided further opportunity for stakeholders to input into the study. This provided the project team with more detailed feedback on the main parking and movement issues in Penrith and to understand stakeholders’ views on potential solutions to address these issues. The feedback from the surveys, and the review of the collected information, provides a comprehensive assessment of the current situation in Penrith and the basis to consider the variety of potential improvements required to deal with the identified issues.

The assessment of which potential interventions should be progressed and developed was undertaken using an agreed methodology – this involved appraising each intervention on how well it performed against the study’s objectives and a set of performance criteria contained in the advice provided by the Department for Transport. The short list of interventions were then grouped into eight packages, and conceptual designs and strategies have been developed, together with indicative costs, potential sources of funding and proposed methods of delivery.

The eight proposed packages are:

Package 1: Additional Parking Capacity
Package 2: Long Stay Parking in Penrith
Package 3: Town Centre Parking
Package 4: On-street Parking (Residential)
Package 5: Penrith Town Centre Improvements
Package 6: Addressing Nuisance Parking
Package 7: Cycling and Walking Connectivity Improvements
Package 8: Travel Demand and Technology Improvements

Further scheme development will be required by partner organisations working together and further stakeholder engagement and public consultation will be an important aspect of this.

The delivery of the interventions is subject to funding being secured. The study provides the evidence – based on a robust assessment and defined methodology – to support the partner organisations in seeking to secure funding and further approval from the partner organisations’ committees will be needed to confirm the allocation of funding.

A recommendation will be made to Councillors to endorse in principle the package of improvements, to agree to work together to explore opportunities for funding to deliver the package of improvements, how they should be prioritised and to agree to the establishment of an implementation group to ensure the co-ordinated delivery of the package of improvements.

The report will be discussed at the following meetings: