ANOTHER 200 parking spaces are being provided at the headquarters of Worcestershire County Council - after months of anger over congestion and safety fears in Spetchley Road.

Bosses at County Hall have revealed plans to create extra capacity at the site by enlarging the size of two existing on-site car parks.

It follows complaints from residents that too many commuters are using nearby residential roads, including Kilbury Drive and Spetchley Road.

There are 2,300 staff who work at County Hall, but fewer than 800 on-site parking spaces.

The number of employees based at the headquarters has rocketed by 43 per cent since January, when it was 1,600, due to workers relocating from other offices.

A planning application to make the changes is now due to be submitted by the end of April, and if expected work will take place over the summer to create the new spaces.

It follows talks between the authority's leadership and Councillor Richard Boorn, who represents the area for Worcester City Council, about the problems.

Cllr Boorn said: "It's been appalling, to be honest. Residents have had to put up with totally unreasonable behaviour for too long.

"I took the fight to the county council and to their credit, they are doing something about it."

Councillor John Campion, cabinet member for transformation and commissioning, said: "It's important to maximise our use of County Hall while ensuring we're a good neighbour.

"Therefore we are currently proposing to apply for planning permission to extend two of our on-site car parks, to provide around 200 extra spaces for staff and visitors.

"As part of the planning process, we have invited staff and nearby residents to several pre-planning consultation drop-in sessions to give them the opportunity to view the proposed designs and provide feedback."

There are 682 spaces at County Hall on five different car parks, and another 96 reserved in a section of Worcester Woods Country Park during term time only as an alternative option for staff.

Employees can park on-site for up to four days per week, or if they live within two kilometres of the site, just three days.