Turton Tower car parking charges to be introduced

The 'low-level' fees will be deductible from the price of the entrance ticket for Turton Tower.

The move by Blackburn with Darwen Council follows concerns about damage to its car park by its use by people walking on the surrounding West Pennine Moors.

The move, authorised by the council's leisure boss Cllr Damian Talbot, will make its car park 'pay and display' and and will ban parking on Tower Drive.

Cllr Talbot said: "Turton Tower carpark and grounds attracts a significant number of customers who use the parking to access other parts of the West Pennine moors to walk or cycle as well as simply walk their dog or visit the tearoom in the grounds throughout the year.

"Whilst this high level of usage is to be welcomed, it takes its toll on the the carpark and is not beneficial to the Tower as they are not paying to enter.

"This has been very evident in 2020 when the Tower has not been open to the public.

"In this time the carpark and Tower road are regularly so full of cars that staff and volunteers cannot get on.

"There have also been several complaints from neighbouring houses that access is blocked by excessive parking on Tower Drive.

"It is proposed that car parking charges are introduced in the main car park and Tower Drive becomes a no parking zone, as if only on the carpark it will simply displace cars who will want to park on the road

instead.

"It is recognised that there is a cost to enter the Tower itself and it is recommended that the cost of parking could be deducted from the cost of a ticket.

"It is proposed that the volunteers would be issued with free passes .

"Turton Tower is an asset to the borough which we want to support for the future.

"The introduction of low-level parking charges has been deemed as an appropriate means to offset the significant costs of the upkeep of the carpark, grounds and Tower itself with initial monies going towards refurbishing the carpark."

The charges are expected to be set at 50 pence or £1.