Drivers may soon find it harder to park their cars at several popular tourist spots.
New charges will be introduced at four car parks in the Vale of Glamorgan, while resident-only zones will also be brought in at several location popular with visitors.
The car parking charges won’t be brought in until Wales is at Covid-19 alert level one. Residents in the affected zones will get free permits and won’t have to pay to park.
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Barry Island, Cowbridge, Cosmeston and Ogmore-by-Sea are all included in the new parking rules being implemented by Vale of Glamorgan council.
Councillor Peter King, cabinet member for neighbourhood services and transport, said: “Our primary aim is the better management of parking at our resorts and country parks and in our town centres. There is a cost to doing that and to maintaining and sustaining them.”
Car parking charges will be brought in at Porthkerry and Cosmeston country parks, and in Wyndham Street in Barry and the Town Hall in Cowbridge. Country parks will cost £1 for up to two hours, £2 for four hours, and £4 all day. Drivers can buy six and 12-month permits.
Parking at Wyndham Street in Barry and Cowbridge Town Hall will be free for two hours, then costing £4 for four hours and £6 for all day. Blue badge holders are exempt.
Cllr King said: “The introduction of car park charges at these locations has been the subject of lengthy engagement, consultation and debate. The proposals were approved following a process of scrutiny by councillors, who agreed to them at two all-party scrutiny meetings.
“Our highly regarded country parks are used by many people from outside the Vale of Glamorgan, as well as residents, and it is only reasonable that visitors should help pay for their upkeep and all money generated will be used for this purpose.
“There continues to be free parking available in both Barry and Cowbridge town centres on-street and off-street, and the introduction of charges in Wyndham Street, Barry and Town Hall car park, Cowbridge, is designed to increase turnover of spaces, which should help local businesses.”
Resident-only zones will be brought in at Cosmeston, Barry Island, the Knap in Barry, Middlegate Court in Cowbridge, and several streets in Ogmore-by-Sea. This follows a lengthy public consultation. Another zone near Llandough Hospital is also being considered.
Cllr King said: “A number of residential streets in the Vale have suffered parking problems for many years due to large numbers of people visiting nearby attractions. This has made it difficult for individuals to access their properties while also negatively impacting traffic flows and highway safety.
“As we will shortly introduce new off-street parking charges that could increase displacement parking, it is important that parking is protected for residents. We asked residents whether they wanted us to implement a system to tackle this problem and the clear answer was yes.
“That is why we will introduce resident parking controls to the areas mentioned and will shortly consider whether similar measures are suitable for Llandough. I very much hope that these controls will improve the parking situation for those living in these areas whilst also improving traffic flows and highway safety.
“This is a new policy and one that we will monitor closely to determine whether changes are necessary to make it better. It will also inform us should we receive calls for similar treatment to other areas.”
