Crewe's new £11m multi-storey car park is raising just £75 a day in parking charges, and that is before the running costs are taken into account.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) can reveal just 3,235 vehicles used the town centre car park in its first two months of opening.

The total amount raised in parking revenue in that time was around £3,600.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) can reveal just 3,235 vehicles used Crewe's new multi-storey car park in its first two months of opening (Ryan Parker).

This equates to £450 a week and, with the car park being open Monday to Saturday, £75 a day.

Cheshire East told the LDRS it does not have figures yet as to how much it is costing the council to run the car park, which opened at the end of July.

And when asked why the council persisted in charging more for daytime parking at the multi-storey than at other council-owned car parks in Crewe such as nearby Thomas Street, the response was the tariffs were 'consistent with charges for a town centre multi-storey car park'.

Vice chair of the highways and transport committee, Cllr Laura Crane, admitted the council was 'not expecting to see an increased use of the multi-storey car park in the immediate future'.

The Labour councillor said: "We are continuously reviewing the usage of this car park but specifically, in respect of the question about the cost to the council of running the car park, factors such as business rates, assets and energy consumption all need to be considered and this cannot be provided at this point.

"Tariffs at the new car park have been set to be responsive to different levels of demand, as tariffs are reduced for people arriving later in the day.

Vice chair of the highways and transport committee, Cllr Laura Crane (CEC).

"In respect of the cost of parking there, this is consistent with charges for a town centre multi-storey car park.

"In its opening two months of use, the car park has had 3,235 vehicles through the barrier and has taken a little more than £3,600 in revenue."

Cllr Crane said the multi-storey was built as part of the wider plan for regeneration in Crewe.

"Significant regeneration is happening in Crewe and will continue to do so.

"One of the main reasons for developing a new multi-storey car park is that it allows other car parks to be redeveloped for uses that have more regeneration benefits, such as the Lifestyle Centre and Ly2 event space, which both used to provide car parking spaces," she said.

"As well as those examples, the first phase of the new history centre project is nearing completion on the site of the former Civic Car Park and library, and is expected to be completed in 2025, as will The Dome Youth Zone, located on the former Oak Street Car Park.

There are plans to develop other current car parks in Crewe town centre, both council and non-council (LDRS).

"There are also plans for other current car parks in the town centre, both council and non-council, so the multi-storey is an investment in Crewe's future, ensuring there are sufficient spaces at the heart of the town."

"It would have been irresponsible to wait until demand exceeded the available space to complete the car park and as further car parks across the town centre are closed for redevelopment projects, we expect there to be an increased demand for this facility."

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