Chester’s brand-new 800 vehicle multi-storey car park is now open

The brand-new multi-storey car park has now opened in Chester providing parking for eight hundred vehicles.

Operated by Cheshire West and Chester Council, the new car park will replace the Market car park under the old market and Forum shopping centre which has now closed and was first opened in 1967.

The new car park will include many improvements over the old Market car park including:

• Significantly improved accessibility design, lighting, safety and extensive CCTV coverage
• Fully naturally ventilated, with open sides, and saving energy compared to the old Market car park which required a ventilation system to be permanently in operation
• An energy saving LED lighting system with zoned timeclock and movement sensor controls
• Energy efficient lift design
• Stair-cores decorated with artwork designed by Chester artist Graham Boyd, featuring murals celebrating two thousand years of Chester’s history
• The car park will also include nesting boxes for swifts and bats to support wildlife.

From late November additional features are expected to be operational:

• Electric vehicle charging points, operated by Genie Point and with the capacity for future expansion in charging provision, as the adoption of electric vehicles increases
• An indoor secure cycle hub for fifty cycles with free e-bike charging and tool/repair station with access via an entry card for a £10 one-off membership fee.

Access to the new car park is from St. Martins Way at the junction with Hunter Street via a newly remodelled junction allowing for two-way traffic into and out of the car park.

The pay-on-foot tariff has been designed to reflect the enhanced standard of the new car park compared with its predecessor and will encourage shorter stays of under five hours to boost the frequency of visitors into the city centre.

• Up to 1 hour £3.50
• 1 – 2 Hours £5.00
• 2 – 4 Hours £6.50
• 4 – 5 Hours £9.50
• Over 5 Hours £13.50
• Evening rate from 6pm £4

Cheshire West and Chester Residents that hold a Blue Badge with a microchip can park in the new car park for up to four hours without charge.

Being able to finally close the Market car park has been a long-held ambition of the Council, and the New Market Parking will offer users an enhanced experience.

It provides direct access into the new market hall as well as into Exchange Square and the Coachworks Arcade within the Northgate scheme.

Other active travel options will remain available to access Northgate including the free Shopper Hopper from the Bus Interchange at Gorse Stacks to Hunter Street – which links with all services including the Park & Ride network, plus there are over a hundred cycle parking spaces included in the scheme, fifty of which will be in the new indoor cycle hub once it opens later in November.