PLANS for a £2.53 million car park expansion at Silsden/Steeton railway station have been welcomed by councillors.

Proposals for the expansion, which will see a new storey being built on top of the existing car park next to Steeton Grove, were revealed this week.

The project forms part of a £9 million investment in station improvements agreed by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s Investment Committee to improve rail commuting across the county.

Officers will now work on detailed timescales, but the Silsden/Steeton scheme is likely to be carried out later this year.

Silsden/Steeton station fills up rapidly every morning with many motorists forced to park in adjacent Station Road and nearby residential streets.

Local politicians say a particular problem is commuters from North Yorkshire and Lancashire who drive across the border to take advantage of cheaper rail fares within West Yorkshire.

Cllr Adrian Naylor, who serves on Silsden and Bradford councils, said he welcomed the increase in parking spaces at the station.

He said: “It’s something we’ve been pressing for, for well over a decade. We’ve put it in the joint neighbourhood plan for Silsden and Steeton. I’m glad we’ve finally got some investment.

“Silsden/Steeton station is one of those key points in the district where most of the car parking capacity is taken up by people living outside to take advantage of lower Metro fares.”

Bradford councillor Andrew Mallinson, who represents Craven ward, said: “Seventy places, although they are welcome and will ease the parking situation, are not a long-term solution.

“People from Silsden have to drive to the station because they can’t cross the Aire Valley Road on foot without taking their life in their hands.”

Cllr Mallinson also repeated his call for a long-awaited path from the station to the Thornhill Road area of Steeton, to encourage more people to walk or cycle to the station instead of driving.

Cllr Mallinson was also concerned about the expansion’s effects on already-busy junction with Station Road.

Cllr Susan Hinchcliffe, leader of Bradford Council and chairman of the Investment Committee, said the car park was very well used and was often full from early in the morning.

She added: “Economic development is dependent upon an efficient and integrated transport system and this is a step in that direction.

“It is great to see our partners in the WYCA backing transport improvements in Bradford as well as the rest of the region.”