NEW parent and child parking spaces will be installed in a popular retail park after residents raised concerns as to why they were taken away.

We reported last week that the parent and child spaces at the Malvern Retail Park had been removed and replaced with disabled spaces, meaning there were no specialist spaces of that type.

Cushman and Wakefield, who manage the site, announced earlier this week that they will be installing new parent and child spaces, and that the decision had been made based on customer feedback.

A spokesman for Cushman & Wakefield said: “Our priority is to ensure that all visitors have a safe and enjoyable visit.

“We review car parking arrangements continuously and, following feedback from disabled visitors, reinstated disabled parking spaces in front of Boots during recent refurbishment work to allow convenient and safe access when collecting prescriptions.

“We are working with the owner to reallocate a proportion of car parking as designated parent and child spaces to ensure all visitors have convenient parking options when visiting the retail park.”

Kate Richards, who uses the car park regularly with her young son, said last week she was “baffled” as to why the change had been made.

Reacting to the news this time, she said: “It’s great news to hear that Cushman & Wakefield have taken mine, and the concerns of other parents on board.

“Putting in more parent and child spaces will mean easier shopping for families, and in turn, more custom for Cushman & Wakefield.”

The work to re-install parent and child spaces is expected to be undertaken in the next few weeks.

Last week, we reported how the spaces were changed seemingly without warning and that the retail park had been bought in 2017 by Surrey County Council for £74million, though they are not involved in the day to day running of the car park, which is instead managed by Cushman and Wakefield.