Park and ride scheme being explored to address lack of spaces in Wrexham

A park and ride scheme could be introduced in Wrexham to address a lack of spaces in the city centre.

Wrexham Council’s deputy leader David A Bithell said potential sites were being explored, highlighting how parking spots are particularly hard to come by when Wrexham AFC play at home.

Parking issues in streets surrounding the city centre have been ongoing for many years, leading councillors to call for a park and ride scheme to be introduced in October 2018.

Temporary schemes have previously been operated when concerts such as last year’s Kings of Leon gig have been held at the Racecourse Ground.

Plans for a park and ride system were also considered as a potential fix for parking problems at Wrexham Maelor Hospital in 2016 but did not move forward.

Cllr Bithell, the local authority’s lead member for housing, said similar proposals were being looked at by officers as a long term solution to parking issues in the city centre.

However, speaking at a media briefing held this week, he stressed that he did not believe such a system was needed in the immediate future.

He said: “Officers have been tasked with having a look at park and ride clearly.

“When you go to the football now, parking is at a premium, you have to go earlier and that’s probably only going to get worse.

“There’s lots of work to be done with parking coming in and out of the city centre not being as easy as it used to be, and that comes with being a city as well.

“Are we at that stage where we need a park and ride like Chester? No, probably not at the moment. But we do have to look at our long term options and we are doing that.”