Cycle Hub within award-winning New Market Parking opens on 15 December

Chester’s first indoor cycle parking space will be opened by Cheshire West and Chester Council within the New Market Parking, with the first 30 access cards available for free, normally costing £10 each.

Following a successful bid to the Council’s Climate Emergency Capital Fund, the indoor Cycle Hub has been incorporated into the entry level of the new Market Parking on Hunter Street multi-storey car park. constructed as part of the new Northgate Phase 1 development in Chester city centre and which opened in late October.

The new car park was recently granted a Park Mark Safer Parking Award, a national scheme to provide police accredited levels of surveillance, quality and lighting.

The Cycle Hub will be open daily from 6:30am to 11:30pm and includes CCTV, security and access controls and the following facilities:

• 56 cycle racks
• 20 spaces for scooter parking
• 1 cycle repair station with pump, allen keys, tools and elevated stand
• 3 accessible cycle parking hoops
• 7 free electric cycle charging points with 3 pin plugs
• Dedicated access route away from vehicles.

Anyone wishing to use the Cycle Hub can pay a one-off £10 fee for an access card, available from the car park office within the New Market Parking to the right of the entrance.

The free access cards will be available from 2pm – 5pm on Thursday 15 December onwards on a first come basis, and thereafter cards can only be bought from 2pm each day.

To buy an access card or apply for a free card, users will need to bring proof of identification and card payments only will be accepted. A £10 charge will apply for replacing lost, damaged or stolen cards.

Only one access card per user will be allocated, whether free or paid for, and more passes will be available than there are Cycle Hub spaces so a card will not guarantee a cycle parking space at busy times.

As well as the Cycle Hub, outdoor cycle parking facilities for 50 cycles have been installed across the Northgate scheme for more casual cycle parking including Exchange Square, Princess Street and Hunter Street. A cycle gully has also been installed within the steps at the east end of Princess Street or riders can use the lift adjacent to the steps.

In addition, a cycle-only ‘contra-flow’ lane has been installed along Hunter Street to enable cyclists to turn right out of the car park to access Northgate Street.

Councillor Richard Beacham, Cabinet Member for Inclusive Growth, Economy and Regeneration, said: “Being able to offer cyclists a more secure and purpose-built cycle parking facility has been a long-held ambition; I hope it will become a well-used facility and increase the number of cyclists opting to travel more sustainably into the city centre.”

Stephen Perry of the Chester Cycling Campaign said: “We are very pleased to have been consulted on the Cycle Hub design and offer our advice on how best to offer a variety of cycle racks suitable for a wide range of users; we too hope it will encourage more journeys to be taken by bike.”