Dorset Council is to begin a programme of essential resurfacing works at 10 of its car parks to ensure they remain safe, accessible and fit for future use.
The car parks, both surfaced and unsurfaced, have been identified as being most in need of repair and beyond what is provided through routine maintenance.
Dorset Council’s Cabinet member for Place services, Cllr Jon Andrews said: “Several car parks across the county have reached a point where their condition requires more extensive resurfacing to prevent deterioration that could pose a safety risk or require emergency repairs.
“These areas have been badly affected by the recent wet weather, which has accelerated the deterioration and means we must act quickly to get the surfaces repaired.
“By carrying out this work proactively and at a quieter time of year, we can ensure a safe and durable surface for users and fewer future disruptions and unplanned closures.
“Repairing these car parks now will bring better long-term value for money rather than reactive urgent repairs further down the line.”
The surfaced car parks included in the programme are: East Street, Bridport (entrance and first section); Park Street and Governors Lane in Weymouth; Durngate Street, Dorchester; Old Market Yard (road leading to Swan Yard); and Culverhayes (entrance road from Long St) in Sherborne.
Work at these car parks will also include an update to parking bay layouts, with bay widths increasing from 2.4m to the new recommended standard of 2.6m. This will help accommodate modern and wider vehicles and will be achieved with minimal loss of parking spaces.
And unsurfaced car parks also receiving repairs are Purbeck Park and West Street in Corfe Castle and Beach Car Park (Preston Road) and Overcombe in Weymouth.
The council is investing £350,000 in capital funding to cover the repairs.
Cllr Andrews added: “We recognise that other car parks also need work doing to them; we will explore how this can be achieved in the future.”
“In the meantime, we will ensure all our car parks remain safe and repair any safety defects that are found or reported to us.”
Work is set to begin from 23 February, with the aim of all work being completed by the end of March.
Notices will be going up in all car parks advising users of the works and the council will aim to keep disruption to a minimum.
People can report a problem at a Dorset Council car park online.
