by Cllr Howard Bloom
Leader of Crawley Borough Council
I am pleased to report that the Cabinet will today be considering approving a new access road linking Tilgate Park to the A23 along with a proposal for more car parking spaces within the park.
This is part of a proposed £1m investment in the park and also includes removing the current “pay on entry” barrier system to a “pay and display” system. There will also be the resurfacing of the main car park and improvements for coach parking, new disabled parking areas, and safer pedestrian access around the toilet areas and into the park.
These changes have been brought forward to improve the visitor experience with better organised and managed access and car parking arrangements for the park. The changes should reduce traffic in Titmus Drive by making the A23/K2 Crawley junction the primary route for vehicles to and from the park, especially for those coming from outside the Borough. It is planned that these improvements will lead to a reduction in traffic congestion and .parking both in the park and also in Tilgate.
Two options have been put forward with a recommendation to accept the more extensive scheme with a proposed new 5.5m wide access road. There will also be an additional 30 parking spaces in the main car park. It is proposed that the new parking strategy includes charging in the main car park from 9am-4pm in winter and 9am-6pm in summer at a flat fee of £1 per hour with a maximum of £5.
The new access road should go a long way to reduce the traffic congestion in and around Tilgate and give visitors a much more welcoming entrance to the Park whilst keeping the existing entrance for use by local residents.
We have made significant improvements to the facilities and attractions in Tilgate Park in recent years. These latest plans show the commitment of the Council to provide continued investment in the park.
The timescales for the project if approved includes the installation of pay and display machines in April and submission of the planning application for the access road in the spring. A tender period would follow before preliminary work begins in September. Road construction would take place between Septembers this year and April 2015, avoiding work during the park’s busiest summer period.