SPACES in a Bishop Auckland car park will be temporarily reduced next month for ongoing improvement works.

As part of Durham County Council’s continued support for the range of plans in the town by the Auckland Castle and Eleven Arches Trusts, work is currently ongoing to improve and expand North Bondgate car park.

To carry out the next phase of the work the existing section of the car park will be temporarily closed from Monday, February 8, for two weeks.

During this time the newly expanded section of the car park will be open instead, reducing capacity from 175 spaces to 100.

The closure will allow for improvements to be made to the entrance of the car park including new barriers and lighting.

Work to complete the first phase of the car park expansion is expected to be completed by the end of February with the new facility having more than 300 spaces. A second phase, which could see the car park expanded further into adjacent land is currently being considered with any potential work taking place later in the year.

Sarah Robson, Durham County Council’s head of economic development, said:

“We’re delighted to be able to continue our support for these projects by providing an expanded and much improved car park to benefit residents, visitors and local businesses.

“We’d like to thank everyone for their patience while we carry out the final stage of these much needed improvements.”