After recent wet weather, 10 of Dorset Council’s car parks that are most in need of repair, including the ones at Corfe Castle and Norden in Dorset, are to be fixed.
The extensive programme of work which will cost the council £350,000, is expected to be completed by the end of March 2026.
West Street car park in Corfe Castle urgently needs repairs
Extensive potholes
West Street car park in Corfe Castle and Purbeck Park at Norden are both unsurfaced and have extensive potholes that resemble ponds when it rains.
Now Dorset Council is looking to repair them, along with selected car parks in Dorchester, Weymouth, Sherborne and Bridport.
It says routine maintenance isn’t enough to sort out the issues, so a targeted programme of work is required to ensure the car parks remain safe, accessible and fit for future use.
Car park churn
Electricity and water certainly don’t mix at West Street car park
“Badly affected by the recent wet weather”
Dorset Council’s cabinet member for place services, Jon Andrews said:
“Several car parks across the county have reached a point where their condition requires more extensive resurfacing to prevent deterioration that could pose a safety risk or require emergency repairs.
“These areas have been badly affected by the recent wet weather which has accelerated the deterioration and means we must act quickly to get the surfaces repaired.
“By carrying out this work proactively, and at a quieter time of year, we can ensure a safe and durable surface for users and fewer future disruptions and unplanned closures.
“Repairing these car parks now will bring better long term value for money rather than reactive urgent repairs further down the line.”
Ideal for visiting Corfe Castle but the mud can reduce the number of usable parking spaces
The 10 car parks
- Corfe Castle: West Street
- Norden: Purbeck Park
- Bridport: East Street entrance and first section
- Weymouth: Park Street, Governors Lane, Beach Car Park in Preston Road, and Overcombe
- Dorchester: Durngate Street
- Sherborne: Old Market Yard on the road leading to Swan Yard, and Culverhayes along the entrance road from Long Street
Purbeck Park formerly known as the Norden Park and Ride is more like a park and paddle!
Dorset Council is looking to increase the use of Purbeck Park to reduce the amount of traffic parking in Corfe Castle village but needs to make it more usable
Wider bays for larger cars
The car parks with a hard surface will also get wider parking bays, with bay widths increasing from 2.4 metres to the new recommended standard of 2.6 metres.
Dorset Council says this will help accommodate modern and wider vehicles and will be achieved with minimal loss of parking spaces.
This doesn’t include Corfe Castle or Norden car parks which are unsurfaced and don’t have parking bays marked out in paint.
Dorset Council says notices will be going up in all car parks advising of the work and it will aim to keep disruption to a minimum.
More like a four wheel drive training track than a car park!
“Repair any safety defects”
Councillor Jon Andrews added:
“We recognise that other car parks also need work doing to them, so we will explore how this can be achieved in the future
“In the meantime, we will ensure all our car parks remain safe and repair any safety defects that are found or reported to us.”
Visitors can leave their cars at Purbeck Park and catch the heritage train to Swanage
“Pothole repairs on a daily basis”
Dorset Council also says that repairing some of its car parks doesn’t mean it is not fixing potholes in roads.
It says its crews are responding to pothole repairs on a daily basis and are getting to them as quickly as it can, responding to the most urgent repairs first.
According to Dorset Council figures, in 2025 it repaired more than 10,500 potholes and on Tuesday 10th February 2026 it agreed an extra £5.2 million for highway repairs following the recent unprecedented rainfall and flooding.
Further information
- Report a pothole
