A COUNCILLOR has hit out at the cost of creating a small town centre car park. The local authority has been setting up a car park at the junction of Deansgate and King Street for the past 14 months. And it was revealed at a Bolton Council meeting that it has cost £27,000 to create and landscape the 21-bay car park.

But the land is currently used as an informal car park and there are already spaces there.

Tory deputy leader Cllr John Walsh is furious that it has taken so long to create and that the Town Hall coffers have missed out on revenue in that time.

He hit out: "It has cost £27,000 of public money to create what I believe is five extra spaces.

"Is it really necessary to have nice boundary walls and spaces and landscaping just for a car park?

"Wouldn't that money have been better spent promoting the town and ensuring that the car parks are used?"

Cllr Jack Foster, planning and environment committee chairman, said that it had taken so long because there had been changes in the plan.

He said the idea was originally that the car park would be for the disabled and replace spaces lost during the revamp of Victoria Square.

But orange badge holders decided it was too far to walk into the centre of town.

So the council created extra spaces for the disabled at Cheadle Square and the other car park will be used for shoppers.

But Cllr Walsh was still not happy. He said that 14 months to create a small car park is "far too long and totally unacceptable."

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