TRADERS have come together to celebrate the opening of the new 'controversial' car parking spaces on a popular high street.

The new car park on Chobham Road in Sunningdale was opened on March 9, with a tasty barbecue provided by butchers Lewis of Sunningdale.

A total of six spaces were built after Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead (RBWM) faced criticism for the cost of the project, which works out as £48,000 per parking space.

However, businesses owners feel delighted as the new car parking spaces will help bring in more shoppers and improve the appearance of Sunningdale.

Alan Kluckow, Fine Art gallery owner, said: "We are not done yet and people already think it is fantastic, incidentally one of the issues was the potential for accidents and there has been nothing even close.

"What has been good is that it has slowed traffic down, and when cars reverse out of the spaces other cars slow down and let them out. Before this, cars would speed. It is traffic calming and it has worked very well."

Previously, residents told of their safety fears associated with the project as the new bays would force cars to reverse out onto the busy B383 road.

Councillor Christine Bateson, member for neighbourhood planning, said: "We have provided more parking spaces and some of the residents and shopkeepers say they really needed this.

"It was controversial at first but we have done the consultation properly and I think people didn't know what exactly was happening.

"We consulted on this scheme with residents and 88 per cent of those who responded supported the changes."

A quarter of a million pounds was spent on increasing car parking spaces, going from eight to fourteen

Nigel Lewis, butcher from Lewis of Sunningdale, said: "We have a new look and feel to Sunningdale. It looks like a boulevard and it is amazing."