Parking charges proposal for Welsh beauty spot

Alec Doyle – Local democracy reporter

Free parking at a popular Welsh beauty spot may be abolished by Flintshire County Council later this year.

Wepre Park in Connah’s Quay currently does not charge for parking, however the council has made a conservative estimate that it could generate £28,000 per year of revenue if included on the authority’s Traffic Regulation Order.

Officers have recommended charging £1 for up to two hours, £2 for up to four hours, £4 for all day parking or £50 for a full year season permit.

The charging structure is designed to be comparable to other popular countryside visitor attractions like Loggerheads.

Payment terminals

It will cost the council approximately £20,000 to install payment terminals but according to Flintshire’s Car Parking Management Policy Review, which will be presented to the Environment and Economy Overview and Scrutiny Committee next Tuesday, the popularity of Wepre Park could make it a valuable asset.

“Presently, the car park at Wepre Park is free and allows parking without restriction,” summarised Flintshire’s Chief Officer for Streetscene and Transportation Katie Wilby in the agenda for the meeting.

“Visitor numbers have increased significantly in the last five years, with vehicles and footfall having a negative impact on the site leading to an increase in maintenance beyond the current revenue budget.

Problems

“It is proposed to introduce car park charging at Wepre Park to provide an additional income to better manage and maintain the car park and make up the deficit in the revenue budget.”

Since these plans were first discussed two yeaars ago there has been opposition from residents, with concerns that visitors will no longer come to the park or that  residentials streets nearby will be used instead, causing traffic problems.

If approved charges will be introduced from April this year.