COTSWOLD District Council (CDC) cabinet have backed a proposal to allocate up to £225,000 to move forward with the development of decked parking at The Waterloo.

The proposal seeks to proceed with design and planning work for the development using money from the council’s priorities fund.

Members of the district council will be asked at a full council meeting tomorrow to approve the proposal.

The council’s cabinet acknowledged that the time was right to develop detailed designs and surveys and engage an architect for the submission of a planning application.

CDC’s Parking Demand Project Board chairman Cllr Mark Harris said: “It’s good to hear that we have reached this major stage and I hope that the full Council will endorse the Cabinet recommendation so that we can begin to develop a fully formed planning application.

“We all know that there is no ideal solution to addressing parking problems in Cirencester but independent experts have indicated that the Waterloo is the most suitable site for large-scale expansion.

“We are aware of the potential impact on those living in the vicinity and it will be important to engage with them to develop the best possible design and planning arrangements.”

The cabinet member tasked with oversight of the board, Cllr Mark MacKenzie-Charrington, clarified that at this stage, there was no pre-written agenda other than to develop multi-level parking.

He said: “How many levels will be decided by a study. There will be consultation with the community, especially those living and working adjacent to the car park. At the moment. There is nothing to show other than the principle of going forward.”

He added: “What is clear is that something needs to be done soon to future-proof the provision of parking in Cirencester, and the development of a decked car park will be a major step forward in terms of meeting the projected increase in demand over the next thirty years or so.”

Cllr Chris Hancock, cabinet Member for enterprise and partnerships was in no doubt about the magnitude of the task ahead: “This is probably the biggest ever capital project that the council has taken on, and the overall cost could even exceed £10 million.

“With this in mind, we will need to find innovative ways to fund this project without impacting on bills for the council taxpayer. What we all want to do is create a top quality asset which will serve the people of the Cotswolds for many decades.”