PARKING fees have been waived in a Herefordshire town, beginning today (August 7).

The changes are to come into force at Leominster's Etnam Street car park.

They will see prices be slashed for all drivers parking for up to two hours, although only while improvement works are being carried out in Corn Square.

The works were originally intended to be completed in September, but delays due to drainage and sourcing of materials means the anticipated completion date is now the end of November, with some ongoing work to continue in Corn Square.

The council has said that two hours' parking in Etnam Street will be free during this time.

The project sees Herefordshire Council working in partnership with Leominster Town Council, along with residents, businesses and community groups to deliver a range of projects, agreed with Historic England, which aim to renew and rejuvenate Leominster's High Street and conservation area.

Councillor Philip Price, cabinet member for transport and infrastructure, said: “Winning this funding was an incredibly competitive process and involved a lot of effort from the council and our local partners, so we are delighted to be carrying out these improvement works for the benefit of Leominster. Once finished, the enhancements will be beautiful and be a boost to the aesthetics and accessibility of the town centre that will bring benefits to local people and businesses for years to come.

"It is always a challenge when working with older structures, and some of the issues we have discovered have unfortunately led to the delays experienced. However, we are committed to doing the job thoroughly and with the long-term in mind, so where defects have been found we have fixed them rather than leaving them to be discovered down the line, and we will continue this approach.

“It can sometimes take longer than any of us would like to properly identify potential problems and the appropriate solution. As such, we are aware of the inconvenience to Leominster that will have been caused by the delays incurred by drainage and materials sourcing issues, so to help provide a boost to local businesses we are implementing a number of measures. We are committed to working with the local community."