Westmorland and Furness would end weekend pay and display and free blue badge bays at County Hall car park, Kendal. Comments close 27 August.
Three areas of the County Hall car park on Stricklandgate in Kendal would stop being public parking places under a statutory notice published by Westmorland and Furness Council on 6 August. The proposal would strip Areas 1, 2 and 4 out of the order that governs the car park, ending weekend pay and display parking and the free three hour stay for blue badge holders in those bays. Comments close on 27 August 2026. (Westmorland and Furness Council, statutory notice, dated 6 August 2026)
The change follows the council’s decision in April to declare County Hall surplus and move to a sale. The parking order is the legal mechanism that makes the bays public parking, so removing the areas from it is the step that formally takes them out of public use.
What the notice actually removes
The proposed order is the Westmorland and Furness Council (County Hall, Kendal) (Off Street Parking Places) (Order 2020) Variation Order (No. 1) 2026. It would revoke the entries for Areas 1, 2 and 4 of the County Hall car park, LA9 4RQ, from four separate schedules of the 2020 order. (Proposed order)
Those schedules currently provide:
- Pay and display. Areas 1 and 2 operate from 8am to 6pm on Saturday and 1pm to 6pm on Sunday, including public and bank holidays. Area 4 operates from 8am to 6pm Monday to Saturday and 1pm to 6pm on Sunday.
- Blue badge bays. Across Areas 1, 2 and 4, blue badge holders park free for a maximum of three hours, 8am to 6pm, Monday to Sunday, with no return within an hour for a further free period.
- Permit holders. Areas 1 and 2 include bays for permit holders and temporary permit holders, free of charge, 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday.
- Charges. The tariff for Areas 1, 2 and 4, unchanged since 1 August 2020, runs from £1.20 for up to an hour to £6.00 all day, with £2.20 for two hours, £3.20 for three, £3.90 for four and £5.00 for six. Motorcycles park free in designated bays.
The council’s statement of reasons is brief. It says the proposals follow its “ongoing responsibility to review such arrangements” and that “parking immediately around the County Offices building is proposed to be revoked from the Parking Places Order”. (Statement of reasons)
The order leaves the rest of the 2020 order untouched, stating that “in all other effects the Order of 2020 shall remain in full force and effect”.
Why now: the building is being sold
Cabinet approved the permanent closure of County Hall and Offices for council services on 21 April 2026 and formally declared the building surplus to requirements. That followed a decision in June 2024 to close the building for day to day operations apart from the archive collection. (Westmorland and Furness Council, 22 April 2026)
The council was specific about which land is in the sale. The surplus approval “includes the main building, the front and immediate rear car parks and the adjacent ‘visitor’ car park inclusive of 155 Stricklandgate”. It also said that “the main pay and display car park to the rear and ancillary land will be retained by the council”. The three areas named in this month’s notice are the parking immediately around the building, which is the part being sold.
Cabinet agreed to move to a Community Asset Transfer or a market value sale under its Strategic Asset Management Strategy 2024 to 2029. Cllr Andrew Jarvis, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance, said: “We know County Hall is part of Kendal’s story, and we understand that people will feel strongly about what happens next. We believe it can have a bright and useful future, and also remain an important part of the town’s identity and architecture.”
On the archives, the council said most collections will move to specialist storage, some material will stay at the Barrow and Carlisle archive centres, and public access will pause for up to three months before the public search room reopens at Kendal Library. Further public engagement is promised during 2026.
What it means for you
If you use the County Hall bays at weekends, or rely on the free blue badge parking there, this notice is the point at which that provision is formally withdrawn. The council has not published a date for the change: the draft order leaves the commencement date blank, so it takes effect only once the council makes the order.
The main pay and display car park at the rear is not part of this variation and the council has said it is keeping it, so Kendal does not lose the whole site.
To comment or object, write to the Traffic Management Team, South Lakeland House, Lowther Street, Kendal LA9 4DQ, or email TROconsultation@westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk by 27 August 2026, quoting the reference “Off St Order County Hall 2026”. The full documents are on deposit at Kendal Town Hall, Highgate, Kendal LA9 4DQ.
A separate consultation on 20mph limits across South Lakeland, including Burneside and Grasmere, closes the following day. Our Kendal roadworks and travel page tracks current closures, and Kendal planning news covers development decisions across the town.
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