TENBURY’S Palmers Meadow could be extended to met the town’s new parking needs.

Tenbury Town Council has been told that there is no condition limiting Palmer’s Meadow to recreational use so the council has set up a working group to report on the future for parking in the town.

Councillor Darren Ingram told members of his concern about the closure next year of an “informal” car park. He said he was worried about what will happen when work starts on the building of the new Tesco on the former auction yard site.

“I realise that this is not a proper car park but nevertheless people do park there and will be affected when the construction begins,” he said.

Former Mayor Liz Weston said that the auction yard was private land and should not be being used as a car park.

But the issue drew the council into a wider debate about inadequate car parking and specifically the problems this posed to the Apple Fest.

The Tenbury Apple Group has already said it believes visitors to the town may have ar rived only to go straight home because they could find nowhere to park.

The working group will look at a range of options including extending the existing Palmers Meadow car park although this could involve encroaching upon the grassed area.

Town clerk Dawn Worgan said that there was no condition demanding that Palmers Meadow had to be used exclusively for recreation.

There will also be consideration given to requesting that the temporary car park on the Burford side of the river during the closure of the Teme Bridge be reinstated.

However, the town council decided it was not the “right time” to reopen the debate over introducing charges to its free car park.