NETWORK Rail plans to create 205 additional car parking spaces at Royston railway station. The proposal has been submitted to North Herts District Council. The additional spaces are planned on a piece of land on the north side of the railway station. In

NETWORK Rail plans to create 205 additional car parking spaces at Royston railway station.

The proposal has been submitted to North Herts District Council.

The additional spaces are planned on a piece of land on the north side of the railway station.

In a planning statement, Network Rail's architects White Young Green described the site as "unattractive open scrub" with "elements of hardstanding".

Currently, the north side car park provides 167 parking spaces.

The statement says that the new car parking spaces will see, too, an increase in pay-and-display machines.

The moves comes in the wake of a Government White Paper which said an increase in station car parking would encourage people to take longer journeys by train.

"The White Paper states that there is evidence that station car parks are becoming capacity constrained and the increasing car park capacity is a key to improving overall access and access to the rail network," said the planning statement.

It said, too, that the Government was concerned about the "slow progress" in "delivering increased car parking provision".

The statement continued that use of the land would mean that the site would have an improved appearance.

"The provision of the additional car parking spaces would help satisfy the increasing demand for parking at the station," said the report.

There is likely, too, to be the development of closed-circuit television on the site which will increase existing security standards.

Royston Town Council's planning committee will be considering the scheme at a meeting on Monday evening.

Tesco has submitted a plan to develop a car wash centre on its site in Old North Road, Royston.

The scheme will include a wash area, a drip zone and a drying zone.