The National Trust is to revamp parking at Shugborough Hall ahead of the estate’s re-opening next year, but is to reduce coach parking space in the process, the Express & Star reported
The Trust, which took control of the site from Staffordshire County Council in November last year, has had plans approved by Stafford Borough Council to increase all-weather parking at the estate’s re-opening.
The site currently has a car park with more seasonal grass parking available, but the National Trust wants to tarmac over the grass parking to make extra parking available all year round, to fit the organisation’s plans to keep the estate open 364 days a year.
Currently the car park has 177 standard spaces, nine disabled spaces, room for 16 coaches and the 176 space seasonal grass parking.
After the revamp there will be 285 standard spaces, one electric charge space, 12 larger standard spaces and four coach parking spaces. There will be no seasonal grass parking.
A report prepared by BEA Landscape Design, on behalf of the National Trust, said: “The existing coach parking area is to be reduced to four coaches with the remaining area extended to the east and utilised for car parking.
“When there are no coaches booked the whole area will be utilised for car parking.”
Hayley Mival, Project Manager for Shugborough, said: “Once we reopen Shugborough in March 2017, we plan to significantly increase visitor numbers over the next 10 years.”
