KENDAL'S commuters could have to "park and walk"

because they are filling the town's car parks to capacity.

In a bid to draw more trade to Kendal, South Lakeland District Council is to look into plans for a series of temporary out-of-town parking sites in order to free up town-centre spaces for visitors.

As part of a radical review of parking and charging policies in the district, employees could be encouraged to park on the outskirts of Kendal and walk to their place of work.

While other towns benefit from park and ride schemes, the foot-friendly proposal is one of a number of changes suggested in a report by the council's transportation and development officers which calls for charging systems that commuters would find "difficult to refuse".

Coun Peter Thornton said plenty of parking for visitors would encourage tourists to come and spend in the town.

"The idea is to get car parks on the outskirts of town and to get people who work in the town centre to park there," he said. "But if we want people to do this we the council will have to do this ourselves and I appreciate that might not go down well. We have all been used to being able to park very close to work and I think that we are going to have to accept that, ultimately, there is not the space."

He did confirm that alternatives would have to be put in place for those unable to walk.

The parking review - which is designed to boost the council's budget also suggests a car-sharing scheme and will question whether SLDC should maintain ownership and operating power over its car parks.

Sites throughout the district currently net SLDC £3 million per year but the introduction of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 means that revenue will drop as more spaces will be required to be allocated to blue badge holders.

It is estimated that around £1 million needs to be spent on car parks to bring South Lakeland's sites up to scratch.

To tackle the possible budget shortfalls, the report includes proposals for pay-onexit, longer limits for on-street parking and proposals for reducing parking at Kendal's New Road site to transform the Riverside area into a "tourist attraction".

Blue badge holders could also be made to pay to park when the review comes into force.

At a meeting of the cabinet, members agreed to look into the report's suggestions and that additional parking should be sought for Windermere.