Plan for unofficial car park site

Parts of Kendal have been earmarked for regeneration

An area of a Cumbrian town used as an unofficial car park could be de-registered as common land.

South Lakeland District Council wants to turn the riverside site at New Road in Kendal into an attraction for visitors and locals.

As it is common land, the public has the right to use it for recreation but it is mainly used as a free car park, although this is against by-laws.

The council has proposed an alternate site for common land usage.

An area at Aikrigg and Parkside Road, has been identified as suitable.

Proposals for the New Road site include a riverside cafe and terrace, and a coach pick up drop off point to bring shoppers and visitors into the town.

'An eyesore'

Councillor Graham Vincent, the council's portfolio holder for economic prosperity and transport, said the site was not being used as common land.

"It is something of an eyesore at present and only available for a limited number of workers to park for free and is not available for anyone else to enjoy as public access land.

"It is in a central part of Kendal and I think it is important for the town to have aspirations to make it an attractive riverside area where people can walk, relax and enjoy the views."

He added: "We appreciate that this is a long-standing issue which must be handled sensitively which is why we have asked for this consultation exercise as a first step."