Car parking changes across county implemented

PARKING charge changes come into effect from Thursday, August 28th across Carmarthenshire’s main town car parks.

The changes including charges on Sunday’s where they were previously free, a new charging policy for blue badge holders and the removal of the four-hour free parking at Llanelli car parks on Saturday’s.

Disabled (blue) badge holders will receive an allowance of an hour’s free parking, once a pay and display ticket has been purchased.

Charging exemptions on Sundays will apply to the following car parks:

• Carmarthen: St Peter’s car park – charges will apply from 12-noon to 6pm.
• Priory Street car park will have no charges.
• Newcastle Emlyn: Castle car park has no charges.
• Llanelli: Vauxhall and Church Street car park’s – charges will apply from 12-noon to 6pm. Edgar Street car park has no charges.
• Ammanford: Carregamman car park – charges will apply from 12-non to 6pm.
• Wind Street and Baltic car parks will have no charges.

Charging from 6pm to 9pm in John Street car park, Carmarthen, and in East Gate car park, Llanelli, will come into effect from the April 1, 2015.

The full council agreed to the introduction of the new parking policy to help manage off street parking demand throughout the week, including Sundays and maximise the use of existing parking stock.

County executive board member for transport services, Cllr Colin Evans, said the changes would help sustain the provision of parking facilities and transport and highways services county wide. The changes supported the objectives set out in the authority’s parking strategy and the Regional Transport Plan.

He said: “They would also promote more travel choices through parking provision and pricing at the same time as maintaining economic viability in the county and supporting the enforcement of the off street parking regulations.”

Full council also formally approved the introduction of charges for Blue Badge parking at the authority owned car parks. Charges already apply at other private sector car parks in the county.

The Council consulted extensively on the matter through the budget strategy process and the Order proposal to make the appropriate Regulation Order has been extensively advertised following the council’s decision. The advertised Order invited objections. Twenty seven objections were received from a population of circa 182,000 and these were taken into account in making the decision.

The publication of the Order now confirms the introduction of charge. The charging allows Blue Blue Badge holders an extra hour above the time band.

In the past Blue Badge holders have been allowed to park for up to three hours free. Now they must pay for parking on every visit but they will get one hour free when parking for an hour or more on each visit.

The Saturday’s four-hour free parking concession that has prevailed at Llanelli’s recently £1.7-million revamped Murray Street Multi Storey and Church Street, Edgar and Vauxhall car parks was introduced to compensate for the loss of the Island Place car park while the £26-million East Gate development was being delivered. Minute’s exist to show this should have been removed on the opening of East Gate in November 2012.

Cllr Evans said the concession, that has not existed in other county towns, was extended until users got used to the new and more car parking space provisioned East Gate car park.

The multi-storey car park charges: One hour – £1.20; two hours £1.60; three, £1.80 and four, £2 were among the cheapest authority operated car parks in Wales and greatly cheaper than privately run car parks.

He said: “To date the generation of parking charges has enabled the Authority to support public transport and volunteer schemes that provide mobility for residents. “Given the scale of the financial challenges currently faced by Local Government, the authority has had to make some very difficult decisions.”