Relining at Kendal's biggest car park starts Monday 28 September. Bays go from 2.4m to 2.6m wide, so there will be fewer spaces, and floors will shut in turn.

Work to repaint the bays at the Westmorland Shopping Centre car park in Kendal starts on Monday 28 September. Every bay gets wider, which means the car park will hold fewer cars when it is finished.

Westmorland and Furness Council, which runs the car park, confirmed the start date on 9 September. It has awarded the contract, but has not named the contractor or said what the work costs.

What changes

The council’s announcement sets out the new layout:

  • standard bays widen from 2.4 metres to 2.6 metres
  • some bays between the structural pillars go to more than 3 metres, where there is room
  • the total number of spaces goes down
  • the work is done one floor at a time, with only the floor being worked on closed

The council says the change answers customer complaints that the bays are too narrow for modern cars. When it first announced the scheme on 29 July, Councillor Andrew Jarvis, the deputy leader, called the car park “an aging building that was designed for a very different era of motoring”.

How many spaces will go

Neither announcement says. The car park has 629 general spaces, plus 11 parent and child spaces and 33 disabled spaces on levels 3 and 5, according to the council’s car park page. That makes it by far the largest car park in the town.

The arithmetic gives a sense of scale, but it is only an illustration. A straight run of parking 31.2 metres long fits 13 bays at 2.4 metres and 12 at 2.6 metres. Pillars, ramps and the wider bays between pillars mean the real figure will not follow that neatly.

Illustration: a straight 31.2 metre run of parking holds 13 bays at 2.4 metres wide and 12 bays at 2.6 metres wide. This is arithmetic, not the council's figure for spaces lost.
An illustration of the arithmetic, not the council's figure. Bay widths: Westmorland and Furness Council.
Share this chartFacebookWhatsAppX

The timetable is not settled either. On 9 September the council said more information on the floor closures would follow “once the programme of work has been confirmed”. We will add the floor-by-floor dates here when it publishes them.

The council’s answer to the lost spaces

The council says it has reviewed its own car parking arrangements and usage in the town, to free up more spaces for visitors and residents. It has not said which car parks that covers or how many spaces it releases.

A wider study of parking across Kendal is also on the way. The July announcement said the study would be commissioned from August 2026 and finish by the end of March 2027. It will look at how car parks are used now and what the town will need, and feed into future parking decisions.

Not the first work on this car park

The relining follows a new LED lighting system throughout the building. The council’s award notice on Contracts Finder shows that job went to Cubby Construction of Carlisle on 27 August 2024, for £312,239.48. The council had estimated it at £180,000.

In October 2024 a routine inspection found a problem with concrete on the ramp between levels 1 and 2. The lower level was closed for eight to ten weeks for specialist repairs.

What it means for you

  • If you park here, expect one floor to be shut at a time from 28 September. The car park stays open throughout, the council says.
  • If you drive a large car, the wider bays should be easier to get in and out of once each floor is done. Check the height first: there is a 1.8 metre limit at the entrance.
  • Current prices: the early bird ticket is £1.40 all day if bought between 7am and 9am. Otherwise one hour is £2.20 and all day is £8.10, paid on exit.
  • If you have a Blue Badge, you still get an hour free on top of the time you pay for, with a clock disc displayed.

If the car park is busier than usual, South Lakeland House on Kent Street has 194 spaces and Blackhall Road has 81. Our guide to parking in Kendal lists every council car park with its prices, including the £1.50 Sunday rate at South Lakeland House. For road closures around the town centre, see Kendal roadworks and travel.

Sources