THE long running saga of a controversial Saltaire car park is continuing, with new plans to turn a road into private land.

For much of last year, residents of Saltaire had protested against the pay and display car park run by Smart Parking at Oastler Road, off Bingley Road, behind the village’s Co-Op.

Motorists had complained about the company’s strict enforcement policies, which would see them fined up to £100 if they overstayed by a few minutes, or if they failed to get a ticket for the free 20 minute period provided at the car park.

Then in October Bradford Council ordered the car park to be shut down, after it emerged the patch of land had never legally been turned into a car park, and was still part of the public highway.

The land’s owners, Manchester-based Saltaire Investments Limited, submitted plans to have the land re-classified as a car park, but in March the Council refused this application. Officers raised concerns about the loss of the public road.

Now Saltaire Investments have submitted a second application to convert the land into a private car park, including more detail of the car park’s layout.

The plans call for parking areas to become private car parks, but provides space for vehicles life delivery vans to pass through.

When the original planning application was refused, officers said: “The loss of Oastler Road as a thoroughfare and as a highway giving access to other private parking spaces and the servicing and delivery facilities for adjoining businesses and residential properties would be likely to cause displacement of vehicles onto Bingley Road.

“This would cause obstructions to the flow of traffic and pedestrian movements and would be detrimental to highway safety.”

The new application includes more details of the proposed car park’s layout, showing that it will have around 39 spaces, as well as an area set aside for delivery waggons.

The plans have already attracted a large number of objections, with 81 people having written to the Council calling for them to throw out this application.

Among those who have objected are Councillor Kevin Warnes (Green, Shipley), who was a major objector to the original plans.

He said: “My main concern is that if this is approved, drivers will be be treated the same as they were before. The plans give no details of how the charges and parking enforcement will be implemented.

“I would like to see the Council take back management of the car park, or to take back ownership of the land itself.”

He has called for the final decision on the application to be made by a panel of Bradford Councillors.

Highways officers at the Council have said that if the plans are approved, Saltaire Investments would also need to apply for a legal order to remove any public highway rights from the parking area.

A decision on the application is expected late next month.