News

Easing congestion in Camberley Town Centre

Released on 26 October 2006

Surrey Heath Borough Council has been looking at ways to ensure traffic flows smoothly in Camberley Town Centre whilst The Atrium is being built.

On Sunday, September 10, Charles Street North and South and St Mary's Road car parks closed to enable construction of the £130m development to begin.

The Main Square multi-storey car park and Knoll Road car park - a total of 1,702 spaces - have remained open as usual. Diversion routes were put in place however some motorists experienced difficulties as a result of the car park closures.

At the last meeting of The Atrium Liaison Forum on October 4, ways in which to further ease congestion were discussed, such as improving signage and finding ways to keep traffic moving, especially at peak times. The Borough Council had already deployed parking attendants to the car parks to direct people into spaces as quickly as possible to help with the traffic flow during busy times.

Following the meeting, the Borough Council's Corporate Portfolio Holder Cllr Richard Brooks, who oversees Camberley Town Centre issues, and Transportation Manager for Surrey County Council Opens in a new window Ian Haller went around the town to see what improvements could be made to signage, both to the visibility of existing signs and the possibility of adding additional signs where appropriate. The County Council is now investigating the feasibility of some of the ideas.

Cllr Brooks said: "A major development such as this is bound to cause some disruption and we thank all those affected for their patience so far. We are working with all parties involved to ensure that driving in Camberley is as congestion free as possible whilst work on the development is being carried out."

He continued: "On completion, The Atrium will bring 680 car parking spaces, as well as a new cinema, bowling, shops, restaurants, cafés and apartments, enhancing the town centre for the benefit of everyone."

Each weekend since the car parks closure The Mall Opens in a new windowhas monitored traffic flow and parking usage which has proved there is sufficient capacity to cope with the amount of cars visiting the town, however the Borough and County Council is looking to identify further potential sites for parking to help with increased numbers of shoppers in the run up to Christmas. The Borough Council will also install a new pay station in Knoll Road car park in a bid to cut down waiting times for people leaving the car park. The new station will be put in place in November.
The Borough Council has also made it possible for people visiting The Camberley Theatre to watch shows to be able to pay for parking at the box office.

For more information about The Atrium. Crest Nicholson Regeneration Ltd Opens in a new window is the scheme's developer.