Objections have been raised to plans to widen a road to make it easier for heavy vehicles to access a town.

Cumberland Council’s £10m Workington Gateway project includes plans to widen the A596 at Hall Brow, to make it easier for large vehicles coming from the A66 to travel through the city.

But Workington Council has rejected proposals to remove land from Grade II listed Hall Park to widen the road and create parking spaces.

Cumberland City Council said the work aimed to “improve safety, accessibility and overall infrastructure” in the area.

Planning documents said Hall Brow was a “long-standing conflict point” which made it difficult for larger vehicles, particularly HGVs, to pass each other safely, leading to delays and safety risks.

He added that cars parked outside houses on the stretch, known as Hall Park View, caused further delays and affected pedestrians, and suggested seven parking spaces would help solve the problems.

Workington Council opposed the proposals, saying the only impact of the project would be to provide parking for residents, not to widen the road.

“Under the plan, the actual usable carriageway, after allowing for the creation of new parking spaces, will be narrower than the width of the existing carriageway – this is, in effect, a road narrowing plan.”

He added that the plans would be “at the expense” of the Hall Park land, also known locally as Curwen Park.

Residents also wrote to the council to oppose the plans.

One of them said parking spaces would still not solve the problem, as they would not provide enough space for the 18 homes along the stretch of road.

“Anyone who lived there knew when they moved in that there would be no parking outside their house, just like thousands of people in the city,” they said.

Another resident, who also opposed the plans, said Hall Park was “very valuable” to the physical and mental health of the people of Workington.

“The park is important as a green space for all, not as a parking space for a few,” they said.

As part of the Workington Gateway project, the road would also be widened at the road junction at Ramsay Brow, where Henry’s Bar has already been demolished.

A separate application, part of the same plan, also requests permission to change pedestrian and bicycle lanes within Hall Park from gravel to hard surface.

A council spokesperson said: “The Workington Gateway project, of which these proposals are part, represents a significant £33m investment in the town’s regeneration and infrastructure, backed by Government funding.”

Cumberland Council is due to make a decision on the proposals in due course.