A BID to solve parking problems in Royston will cost more than £20,000, councillors have been told. Members of North Herts District Council s Royston area committee will have to demand the cash from this year s budget in a move to resolve residential par

A BID to solve parking problems in Royston will cost more than £20,000, councillors have been told.

Members of North Herts District Council's Royston area committee will have to demand the cash from this year's budget in a move to resolve residential parking problems.

But the cost of converting loading bays into parking bays in Royston town centre is available and work on the scheme has been given the go-ahead.

Councillors are demanding, too, that parking restrictions in other areas are given the cash to be introduced.

The problem areas are:

- Newmarket Road, Hollies Close, Priory Close and Tall Trees.

- King James Way

- Rock Road

Louise Symes, the council's planning projects manager, said the introduction of any new schemes "comes down to costs".

Cllr F John Smith, however, said: "The schemes in Royston are important and we want to proceed with these. We do recognise we cannot do everything at once."

He said that that town scheme to replace loading bays with parking bays should be given the go-ahead. "There is no reason for it not to happen as soon as possible," he said.

And committee chairman Cllr Fiona Hill said it was "imperative" to introduce the town centre scheme.

The decision to bid to solve parking problems came after members had been given a report from consultant Martin Hempell on a recent car parking survey in Royston.

The parking survey is to be used as part of a wider town centre strategy which is likely to be produced in November.

"Clearly car parking has an effect on any town centre strategy," said Mr Hempell. "The town centre strategy has to be supported by a parking strategy."

He said the survey in July revealed that there was spare capacity in The Warren car park and the town hall car park.

"There is sufficient parking capacity to meet current demands," he said.

Mr Hempell said problems did exist outside the town centre with parking in residential areas.

In Princes Mews there were long-stay parking problems would could be solved with the introduction of parking restrictions.

In King James Way, too, long-stay parking problems were evident caused, according to the survey, by people working in the town centre.

In Rock Road and Phillips Avenue there was parking throughout the day which could be eased with the introduction of short-term parking restrictions.

And in Newmarket Road and the surrounding residential road he said the "logical measure" was to see a one-hour restriction on parking.

Mr Hempell added that the survey revealed, too, that there was "little evidence" of off-street parking by commuters who were not using the car park at Royston station.