NEARLY 100 Huddersfield town centre parking spaces will be lost as preparation work begins for a new sports centre.

Eighty places at Spring Grove Car Park will be closed off on Monday as Kirklees Council starts road improvements for the new centre.

The move – which could lose the council tens of thousands of pounds in revenue – is the first step in a major reorganisation of the town centre.

Tesco won planning permission last year to build a new store at Southgate.

Huddersfield Sports Centre and the Ibbotson and Richmond Flats would be demolished to make way for the 24-hour supermarket.

Tesco plans to knock down its current town centre store at Viaduct Street to make way for a hotel, offices, bars and apartments.

And the council will begin work on a replacement £35m sports centre at Springwood.

Preparation work will begin on Monday when 80 parking spaces are closed off.

A Kirklees spokeswoman said: “Part of Spring Grove Car Park will be closed from April 23.

“This is because of highways improvement works being done in preparation for the new sports centre being built from 2013.

“Alternative council long-stay or on-street parking is available around Huddersfield town centre ring road.

Alternative car parks or on-street parking places are situated at:

Springwood car park

Cambridge Road car park and Cambridge Road on-street

Kingsbridge car park

Milford Street car park and Milford Street on-street

Chapel Street on-street

St Andrew's Road car park

“The cost for all these areas is £2.50 for up to 5 hours and £4 for up to 10 hours.”

The loss of 80 spaces at Springwood will cost the council up to £400 a day.

Springwood Tenants and Residents Association secretary Hazel Spencer said the loss of parking spaces was bad for people who lived in the area.

“I’m not happy about this,” she said yesterday.

“Anything they do in that car park affects us all.

“I don’t think they should do anything with that car park because it’s so handy for people going into town.”

Mrs Spencer added: “A lot of residents think the council will do what they want no matter what consultations they carry out.”