NORTHUMBERLAND County Council has formally signed a contract to secure hundreds of new parking spaces in Hexham and support the economic growth of the town.

The council had previously identified the need for significant additional parking capacity to be provided for visitors, shoppers and people working in the town centre, and has since worked with developer Union Properties to bring forward proposals for the redevelopment of the disused ‘Bunker’ site, off Alemouth Road, to include a new, 250-space, long-stay public car park, helping alleviate the pressure on long stay parking in Wentworth car park.

The council has now completed the legal documents to buy the new car park, which will include electric vehicle charging provision, and work is set to begin early next year.

The car park will stand alongside a 69-bedroom Travelodge and Lidl store, and there will be significant work on the highways infrastructure to improve access to the site and pedestrian routes into the town centre.

Hexham Central with Acomb councillor Trevor Cessford welcomed the news, saying: “This has been a long time coming since I first made contact with the owner of the Bunker Site to see if the land could be sold for redevelopment. I was very pleased when the administration agreed with me that the extra provision of long-term parking should be a priority for Hexham, so to see it finally coming to fruition is very welcome."