PARKING bays in Ingleton Car Park are to be repainted after it turned out it meant wagons would not have enough room to get in, or out, if cars were parked there at the same time.

The newly painted HGV bays in the car park, off Back Lane, are about ten feet too short, and impossible for wagon drivers to reach if cars are occupying the middle bays, say residents.

The way all the lines have been painted means that HGV drivers would not be able to get into the car park, if cars are parked in the new middle bays, sparking criticism from some that Craven District Council which owns the site, and has previously tried to build homes there, is trying to drive them away.

Bemused residents took to social media to comment about the new lining with one saying they would like to see the ‘carnage’ when a truck and trailer tried to get out of the car park when the middle bay was full of cars.

Another said: “The biggest problem is if there’s any cars parked in the middle bays no wagons will get in, or if wagons are parked there over night on a Friday and the car park fills up Saturday, they won’t have a chance of getting out.”

But, a spokesperson for the council said there was no intention of stopping wagons from using the park, and that the re-lining had been an attempt to solve some noise problems.

The spokesperson said: “The work being carried out at Ingleton car park aims to eliminate some of the problems that residents have been experiencing with noise.

“There is no intention to prevent wagons from using the car park; we are looking at ways to manage the car park better for residents of Ingleton.

“There are clearly some issues with the new wagon bays and we have discussed this with our lining contractors, who have confirmed they will be relining these bays to give wagons more space to get in and out.”

In November last year, a scheme to build new homes on the car park was refused permission.

Every member of Craven District Council’s planning committee, including its chairman, went against officer recommendation and refused the application for eight homes because of its adverse impact on the economy of the village.

The scheme by Craven Barnfield Regeneration Ltd - a joint venture partnership between the council and Barnfield Investment Properties set up to deliver regeneration projects across the district - was for eight homes and was a resubmission of an earlier withdrawn application.