By Monica Gibson

COMMUNITY leaders have welcomed a bumper investment to ease parking problems in Barrhead.

Strathclyde Partnership for Transport has set aside £280,000 to improve parking at the town’s train station, with an extra 35 spaces being created.

It is hoped the work will be completed within the next six months.

Barrhead councillor Danny Devlin is among those who have hailed the cash injection.

He told the Barrhead News: “This is the type of development we like to see. That number of spaces will make a big difference and it is to the benefit of everyone living, working and visiting our town.”

East Renfrewshire MP Paul Masterton also welcomed the investment, which he believes will be influential in helping the country meet local and national targets.

He said: “The new investment made by SPT to extend Barrhead’s Park and Ride and create additional parking spaces is very much welcome.

“This will not only help shoppers, residents and commuters but should also encourage people outwith the area to visit Barrhead.

“This extra investment is set against a backdrop of further UK Government investment into the area through the Glasgow City and Region Deal, which will see a completely new train station built in Barrhead, on the Neilston line.

“We know that trains drastically cut the carbon emissions used by everyday travellers and getting commuters to use the train is vital if we are to meet our COP21 commitment to reduce Greenhouse Gases, which the then Prime Minister David Cameron signed us up to back in 2015.”

A number of Barrhead residents have complained about parking problems in recent times, sparking concerns that a lack of spaces is driving people away from the town centre.

Andy Dunlop, manager of Barrhead’s Business Improvement District (BID), said: “Parking is a contentious issue and there is not a lot BID can do about it, so we tend not to get involved. However, if it is a facility that is required, if it is something that people want, then we will support it and do our best to tell people all about it.

“Barrhead actually has more parking per head than anywhere else in East Renfrewshire. From people that we speak to, it’s not the amount of parking that is the problem but, rather, where parking spaces are.

“In many cases, they are not exactly where people want them to be and that’s where the complaints come from.”

Bosses at SPT have said the extra spaces will be created on land adjacent to the train station.

A spokesperson added: “SPT is contributing £280,000 this financial year to the extension of Barrhead Park and Ride from its Capital Grant Fund.

“The 35 additional spaces should be complete by the end of the financial year, in March 2018.”

However, an East Renfrewshire Council spokesman stressed that details of the parking plans are still being finalised.

He said: “This funding commitment from SPT has allowed the council to progress discussions about the potential for implementing this project.

“No plans have yet been finalised, although discussions remain ongoing.”

In 2015, East Renfrewshire as a whole benefited from a £635,000 investment by SPT.

It was hoped the money would help solve chronic parking problems, as well as pay for an upgrade to bus infrastructure and cycling routes.

The money was filtered through to Barrhead as part of a £78 million investment plan covering the SPT area.