MAJOR changes could be made to car parks in Christchurch town centre.

It comes as Christchurch Borough Council works on a solution to replace 150 car parking spaces which will be lost once the Pit Site car park in Bargates is sold off.

This and the car park by the former law courts are set to be redeveloped.

At a meeting of the council's scrutiny committee this week, members were updated on a recent study into the town's car parking.

A working party, set up to look into the findings from 2020 Consultancy, made a number of recommendations considered by the committee.

And council leader, Cllr David Flagg, also provided an update to members on the proposals.

He said the options presented would provide between 25 and 196 spaces in the town centre, and included the possibility of adding a single deck or multi-storey to town centre sites.

It also included reconfiguring existing car parks.

He said Bank Close car park, behind Marks and Spencer, was viewed as unsuitable for an extra deck, but by redesigning the car park, an extra 25 spaces were available.

An extra deck could be added to Saxon Square car park, but this was not considered to be financially viable, the meeting heard.

However, Cllr Flagg reported that the Bypass car park at Waitrose had 'strong potential to add significant capacity through a single deck or multi storey car park'.

He said the working party recommended replacing coach bays in Mayors Mead car park with 23 car park bays, at a cost of £50,000.

It was also recommended to replace the roundabout and coach car parking bays in the Leisure Centre car park with 71 car parking bays at a cost of £200,000.

This would see the bus terminus moved back to Bridge Street, he added and cost £28,000.

Redesigning Priory, Bridge Street, Millhams Street, Saxon Square and Wick Lane car park to create 25 spaces would cost £200,000.

Combined, all the work proposed would create 144 spaces and cost £728,000.

Asking why the costs of the redesign were so high, Cllr Lisle Smith said it was a "huge amount of money for not a lot of gain."

Cllr Flagg said the work involved "taking up planters and a roundabout" as well as significant buildings works.

Chairman, Colin Jamieson said: "My concern is that you are taking away two car parks in Bargates and creating a modern development with no public car parking in the vicinity."

He said he would like to see a more parking spaces added to the Bypass car park.

Cllr Trevor Watts agreed with him. He said: "I think that's our best opportunity. We need to maintain and create and expand spaces. Wonderful revenue stream."

Comments will be passed onto Wednesday's community committee.