SHOCKED councillors have slammed the brakes on a crucial car park designed to bring visitors into a market town after the cost soared by 250 per cent - to £1.5m

The Gateway car park was due to be built on the edge of Bedale to encourage visitors into the town following the completion of its new bypass.

Hambleton district council had earmarked £630,000 for the work which was due to be carried out during the summer.

However, astonished members of the council’s cabinet have been told the cost has now shot up to £1.56m - not including the £140,000 cost of buying the land itself, which the owner does not want to sell and which would have to go to compulsory purchase.

Councillor John Noone said: “I am bitterly disappointed about this. How long is the delay going to be?

“It is incredible that you start off at £600,000 and end up at £1.5m.

“The costs have gone so high, the consultancies and the charges, it has got out of hand completely. We have worked very hard on this, I want some reassurances that this is only a pause.”

However Cllr Peter Wilkinson insisted the delay was not an indefinite one.

“We are not kicking it into the long grass. We need to slow it down. I am disappointed - but the costs are just running away,” he said.

“We are looking at the increase against the impact of the relief road on Bedale. The feedback at the moment is that it is minimal.

“ I share your concern on this. It is happening time and time again when we look at projects and the cost is significantly higher, we need to be more accurate.”

Officers said they were continuing negotiations with the landowners who had their own plans for the site - but said costs had increased because of the highway problems, detailed surveys and that the car park plans had changed dramatically from the initial scheme.

The leader of the council, Cllr Mark Robson, said the Gateway car park was one of four key projects they had wanted to move on.

“I am more than disappointed with the way things have spiralled on this project,” he said.

“There are other projects that are totally out of our control.

“Something has to be wrong with the way these projects are tendered for. You get the best estimate, it goes out to tender and it comes back as a ridiculous amount.”

Councillor Mike Barningham said the work should have been done when the relief road was being built.

And he added that there was already concern there had been an effect on the town after the local Sunday food market ceased because of a lack of trade.