A new car park will be delivered in a Somerset market town without the need for new housing following a decision by district councillors.

South Somerset District Council has been trying for nearly a decade to create a new car park on the former Millers Garage site, located south of the A30 at East Street.

Having purchased the site in late-2014 for £225,000, the council spent years trying to bring forward proposals for the car park, which would link up to the existing car parking near the Henhayes Centre.

The council’s district executive committee voted in June to delay allocating further funding to the project until a planning application to deliver the car park through new housing had come forward.

But following a protest from “mystified” local residents, the council has changed its mind and allocated additional funding to ensure the new car park can be delivered in full by March 2023.

On top of the £225,000 spent acquiring the site, the council allocated £210,000 in its capital budget for 2022/23 to deliver the site.

Robert Orrett, the council’s commercial property, land and development manager, told the district executive committee in Yeovil on Thursday (August 4) that a further £203,000 would be needed on top of this in light of inflationary pressures, comparing the project to the upgrade of the Yeovil Crematorium.

He explained: “This is out of the same broad situation of inflationary pressure on a capital project.

“The figure used in the capital bid was a very dated figure, and I didn’t pick that up soon enough – I apologise for that. The figure we requested would never have done it [the project].

“I can’t absolutely promise that there wouldn’t be a further increase. If the market goes mad, we will have to come back and discuss that.”

Mr Orrett confirmed that the car park would be delivered as a standalone project, rather than its delivery being linked to any new housing project.

He said: “This is a standalone project, built on the land that we bought a number of years ago, and it has no connection with any other proposal.”

Councillor Mike Best said the project would address a long-standing need for long-stay parking in Crewkerne.

He said: “We have to wind back the clock to before the Waitrose facility was in place. Crewkerne then had long stay facilities in three of its car parks – Abbey Street, West Street and the major long-stay parking in South Street.

“When the bid came along to install the Waitrose supermarket into the town, it was agreed it had to be put centrally, and the site of the South Street car park was the obvious place to put it.

“When the Waitrose was delivered, it delivered a significant amount of extra parking in the town, but not long-stay.

“The council was in receipt of a substantial amount of money when we sold the South Street car park to Kimberly Developments, who developed the site for Waitrose – so in the round, I consider this a balancing issue.”

The committee voted unanimously to grant the additional funding after less than 20 minutes’ debate.

The new car park is expected to be delivered before the new unitary Somerset Council assumes control in April 2023.