MORE multi-storey car parks could be built in Bury in response to a looming lack of parking space.

Plans to redevelop the town centre will leave Bury short of 800-plus bays while work takes place. While the number of places will ultimately rise, there will be far more private short-stay spaces and fewer for commuters on long-stay parks.

Transport chiefs worry that the losses could harm Bury as a centre of employment and shopping. Three options are being considered to tackle the deficit: erecting a new multi-storey on the Market car park, building a car park on Townside Fields, and using Bury Ground at Castlecroft as a long-stay park.

In the short-term measures include an extra deck on the proposed new multi-storey on The Rock; retaining the Cecil Street car park (earmarked as a playing field); narrowing existing bays; and using Bury Ground, being marketed as a business park, temporarily.

Other options include asking Bury College to allow its car parks to be used at the weekend, and even placing a park at Peel Health Centre.

Various scrutiny committees are discussing the options, and a report will be presented to the councils ruling executive next month.

CAR parking schemes made 'profits' last year of £822,000 after the costs and income of pay and display parking were balanced, according to a council report.

Some 28,429 penalty charge notices were issued, of which 19,050 were paid, 7,051 were cancelled, and 2,325 were being processed. Only 109 went to adjudication and 52 were allowed.

The council says that the vast majority of penalty cancellations concerned pay and display tickets or disabled badges which had not been properly displayed.