The Vale of Glamorgan Council is set to introduce charges at a number of its resort car parks and on-street in areas of Barry Island and Penarth Seafront to control congestion and generate income to support vital services in these locations.
After considering a report on the subject, the Authority’s Cabinet has proposed to bring charges at Bron Y Mor, Barry; Penarth Cliff Walk, The Knap and Portabello and Westfarm in Ogmore in line with those at other coastal car parks.
That means, between 10am and 11pm, it would cost £2 for up to two hours, £4 for up to four hours, £6 for up to six hours and £8 to remain all-day.
From 10am until 6pm, there will also be a charge to park on-street at Barry Island and Penarth Seafront along the Esplanade of £2.50 for up to two hours, £4 for up to three hours and £6 for a maximum four-hour stay.
This makes the cost to park at these locations consistent with nearby off-road provision.
Parking arrangements in town centres will remain the same, though there are proposals to close the multi-storey facility in Court Road, which is underused and requires expensive improvement work.
Cllr Lis Burnett, Leader of the Vale of Glamorgan Council, said: “While we welcome people to the Vale and understand why they want to enjoy the fantastic attractions on offer here, there are maintenance and resort management costs associated with visitors which the Council must meet.
“Asking this group to contribute to the upkeep of our resorts is only fair as that responsibility should not lie solely with residents.
“We have made on-street parking at resorts free before 10am to try and accommodate those living locally and restricted on-street parking at resort areas to a maximum of four hours to ensure different people can access these spaces throughout the day.
“Season ticket options are also available for regular users of car parks at our coastal resorts, as they are for country parks.
“Hopefully these changes can help tackle congestion at our resorts by encouraging the use of our car parks.
“I have spoken many times of the extremely challenging financial position we and other Local Authorities find ourselves in. Quite simply, we must find new ways to generate income to balance the books.
“The Vale of Glamorgan is one of the lowest funded and lowest spending councils in Wales, with one of the lowest rates of Council Tax, so if we want to provide anything beyond essential services, we have to impose charges like this.”
These car parking changes, coupled with the potential closure of the Court Road multi-storey facility, could generate £500,000 per year and help address a significant budget shortfall, whilst at the same time helping to look after much-loved resort areas.
Currently, it costs the Council £80,000 a year to maintain Court Road with further investment needed for it to continue meeting safety standards.
Season tickets are available for off-street coastal car parks, costing £60 for six months and £100 for a year, which are valid at any chargeable Vale of Glamorgan Council run resort car park.
Having been approved by Cabinet, these proposals will now be considered by the Environment and Regeneration Scrutiny Committee next week.
