Changes to free parking in Cardiff will come in to force next week

Lewis Smith, Local Democracy Reporter

The council has confirmed that controversial changes to free parking in Cardiff’s car parks will come in to place next week.

It comes after an announcement in February that Cardiff Council would scrap the free two-hour stays in city car parks, which led to backlash from both residents and local businesses.

However, council bosses later made a  U-turn on this decision after a public consultation exercise, with some free parking now set to remain with up to 30 minutes free before charges apply.

These changes will impact a number of the council-run car parks in the city, predominantly those in Canton, Pontcanna, Heath, and Whitchurch.

They will come into effect on Monday, December 1, 2025.

A spokesperson for Cardiff Council said by retaining the 30 minutes of free parking they would allow drivers time to visit local businesses, while ensuring the council could cover the costs of operating the car parks.

In a statement they said: “As part of setting the Council’s 2024/2025 budget, the Council consulted on proposals to remove the free parking period in district car parks – 6,130 responses were received and over half supported the change.

“Following this, a statutory consultation under the Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) process was carried out in early summer 2025.

“Based on feedback, we revised the proposals and re-consulted in autumn 2025.

“The updated plan retains 30 minutes of free parking in district car parks, allowing drivers time to visit local businesses or amenities while ensuring the Council can cover the costs of operating the car parks.

“After the free period, charges will apply starting at 50p for the first hour. These rates remain significantly lower than those in comparable cities and are not considered a barrier to use.

“The new charging structure will come into effect on Monday (1 December 2025), and notices have been placed in all district car parks to inform drivers.”

In October 2025, Cardiff Council also announced another major decision to introduce a parking surcharge on larger vehicles like SUVs in Cardiff, though there is no specific date set for this.