THE cost of building Winchester's second park-andride site has soared to more than £7m.

Winchester Friends of the Earth (FoE) has condemned the county council for splashing out on the scheme which is says will be counter-productive.

The environmental campaigners say park-and-ride will not reduce traffic levels and is bleeding money from other types of public transport.

FoE says the increase in cost of the scheme has spiralled by 40 per cent in a year. The council says the rise is nearer 20 per cent, and that the initial £5m cost was for a different site .

FoE says the county council gives £508,000 annually towards buses in Winchester. The £7.1m could cover the subsidy for at least a decade.

They also believe that the proposed park-and-ride scheme, near junction 11 of the M3, will be counter-productive.

Instead of reducing the vehicles entering Winchester, it believes that numbers will rise.

Commuters will use park-and-ride, so freeing up city centre spaces, and attracting more short-stay visitors.

Chris Gillham, of Winchester FoE, added: "We know that despite assurances, over 25 years, to reduce central car parking in Winchester, no such action has been taken."

He said council chiefs should reduce city centre parking when the 864-space venue at Hockley Link opens, which is due to happen in 2010.

He added: "The county council, by giving unqualified approval to the city for yet another traffic-generating car park, has given it carte blanche to carry on business as usual, which means more traffic, more carbon, and more air pollution."

In the past, county council chiefs championed park-and-ride schemes as a way to make transport greener.

A council spokeswoman added that the initial estimated cost was based on the Badger Farm Road plans.

Since then, building and material costs had risen, and several additions had been made to the scheme.

They included new road signs, extra barriers at the car park, replacing streetlights, and widening and resurfacing Bushfield Camp roundabout nearby.

The spokeswoman added: "Not only do we have a more detailed estimate now based on a new site layout incorporating substantial earthworks to help screen the car park from the wider landscape, we have also incurred additional design fees as a result of the redesign."