Welshpool to consider free Saturday parking for six months

Welshpool Town Council is to consider free parking at Church Street Car Park every Saturday from April through to September next year, but it would have to be paid for by the town’s tax payers and donations.

Councillors will tomorrow (Wednesday) consider a report that outlines the case for free parking “to support town-centre trade and accessibility during the main visitor and retail season”.

The report explains that free parking was identified in the council’s Interim Strategic Plan 2025-28 as a barrier to visiting the town centre, particularly on Saturdays.

This is despite the town having a huge number of free parking spaces in Morrisons, Tesco and Aldi, albeit for a limited time of two-and-a-half-hours.

A Powys County Council review into parking in 2023 identified that Church Street had 230 spaces and the average Saturday peak occupancy was just 25% (54 vehicles). The peak occupancy for April 2022 to March 2023 was 77% (164 vehicles) and the car park took in £75,083 in revenue in that year.

The review found that Church Street was in the lowest-occupancy quartile of all paid car parks in Powys and showed “substantial unused capacity”.

But the sticking point could well be the cost of funding the initiative with Powys council expected to be compensated by the Town Council for their loss of Saturday income.

The report highlights that the maximum cost to the Town Council would be £5999.08 (ex VAT) and would involve clear signage next to the machines encouraging voluntary donations online or via the Tourist Information Centre. It also rules out Newtown's proposed £1 parking approach as Powys would never allow it.

A somewhat optimistic forecast outlines what 25-60% of those parking and donating £1.50 would bring in to the council.

But the shortfall would need to come out of the Town Council budget with the maximum amount broken down to an annual cost to a Band D property of £2.13.

The report highlights the main risks involve “lower than expected donations leaving a higher net cost to the Council; budget pressures and the perception of double taxation”.

But it highlights that free parking would increase footfall that would “contribute to A Prosperous Wales and free parking reduces barriers for lower-income households contributing to A More Equal Wales (Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015)”.

Should councillors vote it through tomorrow night, the Town Clerk will be instructed to update the 2026/27 budget to include provision for the project.

A post-trial evaluation would be carried out next year prior to any continuation of the scheme.