PROTESTERS will march on Kendal Town Hall tomorrow (Friday) as public outrage over the decision to close New Road car park grows.

The decision to stage the march comes following the news that the closure of the free facility will go ahead after the plans were ratified at a South Lakeland District Council scrutiny committee meeting.

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Jane Nicholson, who is co-organising the march with Julie Denney, said: “We want to show that people are not laying down and letting the council do what they want without trying to do anything.

“We are not happy that they are taking away a free car park and potentially changing it into green space, when we have that across the river anyway.

“They are spoiling our town. It is going downhill.

“It is not right that all of a sudden they want to spend a fortune of taxpayers’ money to change it.”

Fences preventing drivers from accessing the site went up this week and the council’s street care team has been removing litter as part of a clean sweep of the area.

Early next week the temporary fencing will be removed and replaced by stone boulders

It is intended that initial works will concentrate on making the site safe and accessible, including work to decontaminate the land and replace the existing top surface, but the long-term future use and design of the site will be subject to public consultation.

The council said it could be deregistered as common land and used as a car park.

However, only around 70 cars would be able to legally park on the land.

There are also ideas to use the land for recreational green space, and to expand the riverside pathway walk.

The council also added it was withdrawing the plan to move Taylor’s fair to Gooseholme following widespread public criticism, and said that the fair would now remain on the New Road site.

The controversial plans had been called in by Conservative councillors after they provoked anger among residents.

They were hoping to have the decision regarding the closure further scrutinised at full council.

This would have delayed the closure until after at least the next full council meeting in October.

However, the council voted in favour of going ahead with the plans. There were six votes in favour and four abstentions.

The approved proposals are for the land to be closed to vehicles, treated to remove contaminated soil, and then for a public consultation to take place over what it should be used for in future.

They were subject to questions from both councillors and the public at Kendal Town Hall on Friday (September 15).

Council leader Giles Archibald explained that the car park had to close as it was the subject of health and safety and legal concerns raised in reports written by the council’s officers and independent audits.

He said: “We have to put safety first.

“This is not an easy decision, but safety does not go to popular vote.

“If I am sacrificing my political career on this decision then I am proud to do so.”

In favour of the car park’s immediate closure, Cllr Mary Wilson said: “Anything that delays the closure of New Road car park by as much as a day, I am uncomfortable with.

“Many people do want the car park to close.

“It is just hard for them to speak out when the opposition is so vociferous.”

Cllr Vivienne Rees added: “It is absolutely clear that it must close. It is unfortunate and complex, but the safety of the people we represent must be paramount.”

But Conservative councillor James Airey, who called in the decisions, said: “This is a shoddy process, overseen by a shoddy Cabinet, and a shoddy decision has been made which goes against the will of the public as very vocally expressed at a recent series of public meetings and again at today’s meeting.”