SENIOR councillors at Cotswold District Council (CDC) have noted that works affecting traffic flow and parking arrangements in Cirencester will soon be easing and have thanked motorists for their patience.

Cllr Mark Harris, the mayor of Cirencester, CDC ward member for Abbey and chair of the Cirencester parking board, said: “I sympathise with motorists who have had to contend with extra congestion in the town arising from the Market Place refurbishment scheme but I hope they are beginning to see some light at the end of the tunnel as we are now only a few weeks away from completion. 

“It is also good to see that work on the new St James’s Place headquarters building will soon be finished.”

Cllr Mark MacKenzie-Charrington, the cabinet member overseeing Cirencester parking issues, echoed these views and added: “We have always said that we can’t turn things around overnight when it comes to providing more car parking for the town, but – working with the community – we have achieved some small wins recently, including spreading the word more effectively about greener transport options, the ‘free after 3 pm’ parking offer in the Brewery and Forum car parks and the free weekend parking offer at Trinity Road and St James’s Place. 

“I am confident that we can create about 100 more parking spaces by the end of next summer and kick on from there with further ‘big scale’ improvements, including one or maybe more decked car parks.”

For more information, visit the special webpage that has been set up to focus on the Cirencester parking project at cotswold.gov.uk/residents/environment/parking-and-public-toilets/cirencester-parking-project