Eagle-eyed residents, visitors and shoppers in Bridgwater may have noticed new signs in the old Northgate Car park. With the opening of the new Northgate Yard complex approaching and to help avoid confusion the old Northgate car park is now called West Quay Car park. Which is a welcome development because the actual ‘North Gate’ of the town was nowhere near there.  If you need to find it then it’s just at the end of Angel Crescent before you hit Mount street. So West Quay car park (the big one by the job centre) (now called ‘The People’s Emporium of Employment Opportunity’) has some new machines in it and sign posts that tell you where the Council think you are. Meanwhile, changes are also happening in Blake Car park. (this is the one next to Northgate primary school and Aldi) (but not the actual Aldi car park) .With effect from 17 October Blake car park will become a pay and display car park rather than permit only. And theres signs there telling you this. As well as paying with cash or card, all SDC car parks operate a pay by phone option.

A Sedgemoor spokesperson said “Car parking charges is a key source of funding for the services that councils provide, none more so than at this difficult time. All councils across the country are facing very challenging financial circumstances. Car parking charges are a very important source of income for Sedgemoor; one that without we would have significantly less resources to do work such as supporting town centres.”

Cllr Brian Smedley (Westover) -a former car park attendant -said “I’m just glad they’ve finally correctly renamed the car parks. It was like flying by a budget airline to one destination only to find you’ve been actually landed 30 miles away. Anyway, more people should be walking or cycling these days. Or in my case, I’ve just found my old space hopper. So i’ll probably be staying in more….”