A controversial £9.1 million car park has been branded a white elephant after a KentOnline investigation discovered it is sitting half-empty each day.

When plans for the multi-storey in Station Road West, Canterbury, were first unveiled, residents fought against the project amid fears the pricey site would be a millstone around the city council’s neck.

Yet authority bosses pressed ahead with the scheme and stated it would become an “important piece of transport infrastructure” for the district when it was unveiled in 2020.

But opponents say they have been vindicated by figures obtained this week through Freedom of Information requests - which reveal it is the city's emptiest car park.

Reacting to the findings, Barton councillor Dave Wilson, who recently stepped down as Labour leader, said: “It’s entirely what was predicted – everyone said it was going to be a white elephant.

“It wasn’t built to have spare capacity – there was meant to be an immediate need – and the top deck almost never has cars on it.

“This is costing money that could have been spent on things benefitting residents, and has instead been thrown away on a vanity project.”

The wood-clad multi-storey – which is a stone’s throw from Canterbury West rail station – was built in place of an existing roadside car park, which had 129 spaces.

A temporary facility, equipped with a further 111 bays, was open further along the route while construction took place, but it has since been put on the market by the local authority.

Analysis shows about 207 people per day paid for a bay at the 380-space multi-storey last year, with the proportion unused being the highest of any Canterbury car park.

Station Road West and the multi-storey in Castle Street are the only council-run sites in the city which fail to be filled with cars over an average 24 hours.

“It’s a waste of money and it’s ugly because it’s a cheap-as-chips design,” Cllr Wilson added.

“We’re paying a lot of interest on it, and we’ve got to maintain it.

“It appals me the council is even trying to defend it.”

Over the last 12 months, Station Road West generated an income of almost £478,000 – which was less than the amounts racked up by six other car parks.

This is despite it being the second-largest site in the city.

Watling Street was the local authority’s biggest money-spinner in 2022, raking in almost £1.6 million. It was followed by St Radigund’s and Queningate.

Meanwhile, Northgate and Miller’s Field – which have capacities of 60 and 42 spaces respectively – were the worst-performing sites, turning over about £400,000 between them.

But our findings cast fresh doubt over the city council’s decision to go ahead with the Station Road West scheme in the first place.

During a vote four years ago, authority bosses were told the development was the “last thing the city needed”, while Lib Dem leader Michael Dixey claimed it would be “the biggest mistake this authority has ever made”.

Speaking this week, Cllr Dixey said: “It’s pretty much empty all the time, and it’ll only fill up if the council closes down all the other car parks.

“Even the projections pre-Covid suggested it would take decades to be paid off – it’s a millstone. Residents should be very angry.

“What staggers me is Conservatives have a reputation for being prudent with financial management, but this crowd is getting everything wrong.”

Dubbed "Canterbury's version of Brexit" due to its huge divisiveness, the multi-storey has split opinions ever since it was first envisaged by the city council.

It was heavily opposed by disgruntled clean-air campaigners, who feared it would be a "massive producer of extra pollution".

Prior to its construction, activists also claimed "the majority of people don't want this car park".

The eye-watering cost of the development was borrowed and is now being paid back over a 27-year period using the cash it generates.

"Station Road West demonstrates exactly why it's so important for excellent district councils, like Canterbury, to make strategic, long-term investments in the future of their communities..."

Documents published in 2018 claimed it would then be expected to rake in more than £1 million a year in income.

But council leader Ben Fitter-Harding argues “you need space availability in a station car park because rail users need to be certain of being able to park in time to catch their train”.

“Station Road West pays for the cost of the investment made in it through parking charges, so it is not costing our taxpayers anything,” the Conservative said.

“HS1 is a huge asset for the city - and the council's investment in decent parking capacity close by is key to ensuring the future of high-speed services in the area and their continuous improvement.

“It demonstrates to Network Rail and Southeastern that we have a high degree of confidence in Canterbury West, helping inform their own investment decisions when it comes to things like improving facilities and extending the platform."

Cllr Fitter-Harding points to the fact the multi-million-pound site “generates far more income per visitor than the Castle Street multi-storey”.

The Conservative says power points have been installed along the widened pavement in front of Station Road West, “allowing the street to be filled with vibrant concession stands this year”.

Five pitches along the route will be offered to traders as part of plans to replace Canterbury’s historic market with street trader stalls dotted around the city.

Cllr Fitter-Harding claims this will create new “opportunities for our local businesses and help to ensure commuters using the station and car park play an active part in our local economy”.

“Station Road West demonstrates exactly why it's so important for excellent district councils, like Canterbury, to make strategic, long-term investments in the future of their communities,” he added.

“We are constantly driving strategies that will result in better transport for our city long into the future while providing excellent value to taxpayers.”