The council’s justification for shutting a park and ride service “doesn’t make sense”, claims Canterbury’s Labour leader.

The authority has opened a public consultation into controversial plans to mothball the facility at Sturry Road.

But leader of Canterbury Labour Group Cllr Dave Wilson has criticised the proposal, arguing that shutting the service contradicts the council’s aims to tackle climate change, while data informing the decision was warped by low footfall caused by the pandemic.

The Sturry Road site is one of three park and rides in the city, and is used most frequently used by students and workers travelling into the city from places such as Thanet and Herne Bay.

But following a drastic fall in passenger numbers since the pandemic struck, the city council hopes to shut it for two years in a bid to save £360,000.

Cllr Wilson says the plan “runs contrary to the council’s aims to become carbon neutral” by 2030.

He said: “Labour believes that it is ridiculous to have a climate change commitment and then take a decision which will force around 100 cars a day to travel further into the city, increasing CO2 emissions and congestion on the Sturry Road.

“Worse, this has been done at a time when businesses are beginning to resume some level of in-office working and retailers and the hospitality sector have opened up again.

“Staff working in these sectors should be able to benefit from a low daily rate for parking and ease of access to the city.”

He raised concerns that data informing the council’s decision - which shows the park and ride received fewer than 100 visitors a day on average over the past nine months - was largely collected at a time when Covid-19 was affecting footfall in the city.

“The arguments for closure were largely spurious,” says Cllr Wilson. “The site usage data to justify the closure came from a time period which was during Covid, at a time when the universities were mostly teaching virtually, and shops and hospitality were restricted.

“And it was claimed that a key problem is that there is no bus lane all the way from the Sturry site - something which applies equally to both New Dover Road and Wincheap sites.

“In short, the closure decision doesn’t make sense.”

But city council leader Ben Fitter-Harding rebutted these claims, arguing: “The Sturry Road route is particularly congested and over half-a-mile further out than Wincheap.

“Despite three buses operating, the service is frequently dogged by delays due to buses stuck in traffic.

“I hope that our draft Local Plan will look to ensure a bus lane along the Sturry Road is completed which, along with the Sturry Link Road, will make Sturry Park and Ride a far more attractive site.”

He added that usage at the Sturry Road site “is still terminally low”, even now Covid restrictions have lifted.

“The site has always struggled, but following the lockdowns it just hasn’t recovered, resulting in a colossal subsidy,” he said.

Addressing concerns that mothballing the site runs counter to the council’s climate change commitment, he added: “Given the tiny usage at Sturry Park and Ride I don’t see how the environmental argument carries any weight.

“The wider transport options to help us continue to tackle climate change will be set out in the Transport Strategy to accompany our next Local Plan.

“Meanwhile we have a good supply of spaces in the city centre at a variety of price points, with discounts in ANPR car parks for electric vehicles.”

Councillors voted to launch a public consultation into the proposal at a meeting of the council’s regeneration committee last Thursday.

It will run until Sunday, April 3, and can be accessed by clicking here.