Wiltshire Council has taken a significant step toward selling the St Stephen’s multi-storey car park in Trowbridge, following a tense Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, October 7. Councillors voted to formally transfer the freehold of the 443-space facility to the owner of Castle Place Shopping Centre.
The financial details of the deal remain confidential, discussed behind closed doors due to commercial sensitivity. Final approval is expected at a future full council meeting.
Currently closed for vital maintenance costing £350,000, the multi-storey car park will remain unavailable until January 6. To ease the impact on local workers and shoppers, the council is offering free parking at two nearby council-run car parks—Court Street (78 spaces) and Church Street (35 spaces)—until the multi-storey reopens.
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The decision follows a structural survey revealing serious issues, prompting the council to consider multiple options. Maintaining the facility would require major investment just to extend its lifespan by ten years.
Trowbridge is unique in Wiltshire for having a free public car park, a situation rooted in a 50-year-old legal covenant between the council and the shopping centre owner, Tahir Ali. Some residents mistakenly believed this covenant guaranteed free parking indefinitely, but council members have clarified that is not the case.
Councillor Helen Belcher, Cabinet Member for Assets, explained the difficult choices facing the council: closing the car park would create a dangerous, boarded-up site and breach legal obligations; demolition alone wouldn’t resolve the covenant or parking space requirements; and demolishing and rebuilding would still restrict charging for parking under the covenant.
The council identified transferring the covenant as a practical solution—either by acquiring the shopping centre or by selling the car park to its owner. The Cabinet opted to pursue the latter to manage the challenges more effectively.
Deputy Leader of Wiltshire Council and Trowbridge Town Council Leader, Cllr Mel Jacob, acknowledged residents’ strong emotions, noting the confusion surrounding the covenant and the misconception of perpetual free parking.
Council Leader Ian Thorn emphasized the poor condition of the 50-year-old structure, saying none want the car park closed but safety concerns make it necessary.
However, some councillors, like Cllr Chris Vaughan, have criticized the council’s handling of the matter, lamenting the lack of public discussion and urging for solutions like partial free parking and permits to support residents.
Cllr Thorn responded that the council’s mitigation measures are reasonable, highlighting the rarity of free parking initiatives outside exceptional circumstances.
Following the Cabinet decision, Cllr Belcher expressed hope that the formal arrangement with the shopping centre owner will bring clarity and enable redevelopment plans to benefit the town and its community in the long term.