A new system is set to be introduced at a West Cumbrian car park to prevent workers from the nearby Sellafield plant abusing it.
Frustrated villagers in Seascale told the parish council at a recent meeting that the seafront car park was filling up by 9am and some parked cars were being left for up to 24 hours Monday to Friday, leaving no room for local people and visitors to park.
Sellafield Ltd has 45 clearly marked spaces at the car park for its workers and contractors to park up and catch a bus to the nearby nuclear complex.
The firm leases the spaces from Seascale Parish Council but the rest of the facility is for public use.
From next month, staff allowed to park there will be given a token to use on the site’s shuttle bus – and if they do not have a token, they will not be allowed to get on.
The street opposite the car park, South Parade, is home to a hairdressers and soon-to-be restaurant as well as an ice cream parlour further up the road – which residents said they feared would lead to parking problems for visitors in the summer.
While Sellafield Ltd lease a total of 45 spaces in the car park from the parish council – which are marked blue and allocated for local worker and contractor use on weekdays – the rest of the car park is for the public.
Parish councillor David Moore said: “We have been in touch with Sellafield and are currently in negotiations with them. A lot of contractors have realised that other Sellafield workers park there and have been parking on the seafront and streets to get the bus that runs for the workers who use the allocated spaces.
“It has caused some concern in the local community.”
Coun Moore said Sellafield Ltd had responded positively to the concerns and it was unaware of the excessive use of the car park by contractors.
Coun Moore added: “We’ve always had a good working relationship with Sellafield Ltd, the leasing of the blue spaces allows us to maintain the car park and keep the sea front toilets free, which is unusual for a seafront these days.
“It’s because of that commercial opportunity that we’re able to provide those things free at the point of use for visitors and tourists. Sadly, the car park seems to have been exploited, but hopefully with the new scheme in place we will have eliminated the problem.”
The firm said the tokens will verify that a Sellafield Ltd employee or contractor is a resident or lodging in Seascale or Gosforth and that the changes will start on March 6. It added employees and contractors have been updated on the situation today.
A Sellafield Ltd spokesman said: “We work continuously with our communities and local authorities to recognise and reduce our impact on the local transport network, and to promote sustainable transport options.
“We are introducing a token system for the shuttle bus services we provide for workers who are residents of Seascale and Gosforth.
“We are also updating our guidance on travel and parking for employees and contractors who live south of the Sellafield site. Encouraging our people to use park and ride services, car sharing and public transport is a key part of this, and we welcome feedback from our stakeholders so we can continue to improve.”
