ALTERNATIVE plans are being made to cope with more than 100 vehicles a day while the car park at Steeton and Silsden railway station is closed for expansion work.

Local councillors brainstormed ideas during a meeting at the station this month with West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) and Bradford Council officers.

The politicians met with officials after expressing concern about where users of the existing car park would park during the 12-month construction project.

Surrounding streets are already overcrowded with commuter vehicles on weekdays because the station car park quickly fills up, a situation the expansion is designed to address.

WYCA recently approved almost £3.9 million to build two decks on top of the existing ground-level car park, creating an extra 104 spaces to bring capacity to 247 vehicles.

Arriva Rail North will deliver the scheme, with work expected to be complete late in 2020. The finished structure will include new blue badge parking spaces, LED lighting, CCTV, electric car charging points and a lift.

District councillors Adrian Naylor and Rebecca Whitaker, and Steeton-with-Eastburn Parish Council chairman David Mullen, were tight-lipped this week about what potential solutions were put forward.

But it is believed they discussed several privately-owned pieces of land in the Silsden and Steeton area that could be used as temporary car parks, if owners agree. The possibility of shuttle buses was also brought up.

Cllr Whitaker said: “It was felt better to explore the options available first, and when confirmed put out alternative travel suggestions to the public.”

Cllr Naylor was pleased that officials agreed to delay the start of construction work at the car park until after Christmas.

He said: “In the run-up to Christmas it will not be just commuters affected, but also shoppers catching trains. The project’s all been signed off and the work is due to start in January.”

Councillors Naylor and Mullen this week spoke of the importance of introducing planned resident-only parking areas in Steeton streets before work begins on the car park expansion.

Bradford Council’s proposed residents-only scheme, focused on the Thornhill Road area, aims to tackle long-standing parking problems caused by staff, visitors and patients at nearby Airedale Hospital.

Cllr Mullen said the situation in Steeton would be a “nightmare” if the residents-only scheme was not running before the station car park closed, adding: “There’s going to be something like 120 cars from the car park needing somewhere to go.”

WYCA recently said it had commenced work with railways body Northern on a ‘decanting strategy’ to provide alternative arrangements of vehicles during the closure.