Three hundred more nuclear workers will increase parking problems in Whitehaven town centre, it is feared.

Only 130 parking spaces will be provided for Sellafield Ltd staff working from the Copeland Centre – when more than twice that number will be based there.

Fears about the impact that could have on parking – and calls for a solution to long-running problems – have been highlighted after it was confirmed that the company has struck a deal with Copeland council to rent more space in the centre.

Whitehaven town council chairman Michael Guest is “deeply concerned” about more workers moving into town “when there is not a clear parking strategy”.

He added: “It is already very problematic. Parking is at a premium – there needs to be a long-term solution – and the situation will only get worse as more workers come into the town.”

Sellafield Ltd insists the 130 spaces it will be allocated – 50 at the Copeland Centre itself and 80 at the soon-to-be-converted former skatepark behind Tesco – will be “more than adequate” for the number of workers who will be based there at any one time. 

A spokesman added many will car share, use public transport or walk to work.

Whitehaven’s car parking situation has been widely described as “chaotic” since 1,000 nuclear workers moved into Albion Square in October 2014, with householders and councillors reporting indiscriminate parking around town and on Kells and Bransty. 

In a bid to tackle the problem, Copeland council recently converted land at The Ginns – where residents bemoaned the parking situation – into a pay-and-display car park.

Mayor Mike Starkie admits it has not been well used, but he added: “We’re working with Cumbria County Council and there will soon be parking restrictions at various problem locations to force people to park where they’re supposed to.”

Sellafield Ltd’s own staff who work in Albion – about 800 – are allocated space in the multi-storey if they travel with a passenger.

But it is understood that if a staff member does not have a space allocated, they can pay to park elsewhere and claim expenses.

There are additionally approximately 200 contractors based in Albion.

The 300 Copeland Centre-bound workers are all Sellafield Ltd staff.

The Copeland Centre lease agreement – agreed in principle by Copeland on Tuesday – will see the council receive £650,000 per year in rent. It runs for the remaining 13 years of Copeland’s own agreement on the building.

A Sellafield Ltd spokesman said: “The moves will take place in phases and are currently scheduled to be complete by the end of 2016.

“This is part of our wider strategy to transfer workers away from the Sellafield site to town centre locations in order to free up space for decommissioning and help regenerate the local economy.”

Additionally, Sellafield Ltd has come to a separate agreement with Copeland to use part of its Moresby depot for storage.