Council sparks fury after spending taxpayer’s cash on a chess desk with no chair…in a carpark

A chess table which has been bizarrely placed in a car park with no chair has received a mixed response from residents.

People were left confused when a chess table appeared in a car park in Nottingham.

There is a bench on one side of the table but there is no opposite seat, leaving motorists confused how people are supposed to play the game. 

The nearby bench also appears to be out of reach for any willing chess players. 

It is part of a new look for the Winchester Street Car Park in Sherwood which also features a seating area, a bike storage rack and Electric Vehicle chargers. 

Nottingham City Council says it is one of six new ‘E-Mobility Hubs’ that will be rolled out across the city in the new year. 

The works form part of the government’s £17million Future Transport Zones (FTZ) project, which are being trialled in Nottingham and Derby.

Resident Sam Bird, who frequently uses the car park, said the installation was ‘bizarre’.

He told BBC News: ‘Who is coming to the car park to play chess?

‘There’s not even a bench on the other side of the table, so how would it work?’ 

However, resident Ruth Rice said she thought the idea was ‘really lovely’ and said she would like to see more chess boards in car parks.

The chess table in Winchester Road car park does not have a chair on the other side and is situated near to, but not next to a bench

She said: ‘I spotted it and thought, ‘that looks really lovely’. You can sit there, play a bit of chess with a friend, it’s great for socialising. 

A photo of the board was shared on Reddit, where users shared their confusion over the installation.

One said: ‘There’s only a chair on one side. I guess it could be for someone in a wheelchair or for a child to stand up, but wouldn’t it be better to have a chair on two sides, then space for wheelchairs on the other two sides? Then both wheelchair-using and non-wheelchairers could use it.’

‘And the bench that is there is too far away, unless you have extra long arms or to move your pieces with chopsticks.’

Another wrote: ‘It’s not even functional – you can’t sit at it.

‘My eight year old has started getting into chess and straight away he pointed out that he wouldn’t want to sit outside for a long time except for maybe a few weeks in summer, and if you already have to bring your pieces with you what’s the point, you may as well bring your board and put it on literally any table.’

Nottingham City Council say the chess table can be used for chess or as a regular table and said a chair will be put in on the other side.

A spokesperson for the council said: ‘We welcome the feedback from the public on the construction of the ‘E-Mobility Hubs’ that we have received so far. The Sherwood hub is not yet complete with work ongoing and expected to be finished early in the New Year.

Winchester Street car park in Sherwood, Nottingham, where the chess board has been installed

‘The works at Winchester Street car park fall under the ‘E-Mobility Hubs’ section of the FTZ project, which will see six hubs introduced across the city which are designed to be close to existing public transport spots and include things like EV chargers, e-bike and e-scooter hire, a car club, as well as wider improvements to the area such as tables, including one which can be used either for chess or as a regular table and seating. 

‘These projects are about trying new things, so may well change following feedback from the public. 

‘They will be evaluated and reviewed down the line to see how successful and popular they’ve been, with the idea that if these individual schemes work well, they could then be rolled out across the country. 

‘The hubs themselves will be evaluated and reviewed based on whether they’ve met the aims of the project.’