Welshpool could follow Newtown lead on free parking this summer

Welshpool Town Council is to consider offering free Saturday car parking for six months, following a similar decision made by Newtown Town Council last week.

At this Wednesday’s full council meeting, councillors will hear that the Saturday free parking trial prior to Christmas was warmly received by town centre businesses that took part in a feedback survey.

Ten out of the 12 businesses that responded reported an increase in footfall and trade, after free parking was provided at Church Street Car Park on four pre-Christmas Saturdays.

The Town Council has to compensate Powys County Council for the loss in revenue, and it was hoped that donations from parkers would cover up to 25% of the cost. But it will be reported this Wednesday evening that only £13.54 was donated.

That means that should councillors adopt the scheme for the 26 warmer week Saturdays from April to September, it could cost up to £6,000 (ex VAT), or just over £2 per household.

“The Christmas trial therefore indicates that voluntary donations cannot realistically be relied upon to fund or materially offset the cost of any wider scheme, and should be viewed primarily as a public engagement and goodwill mechanism rather than a financial one,” the report states.

Councillors will be asked to vote on whether to adopt the scheme this summer.

Welshpool already offers a wealth of free parking at its Tesco and Morrisons car parks, but with that limited in time, it is hoped this move will also encourage people to stay for longer.

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”.

Meanwhile, Newtown Town Council has approved a three-month trial at the town’s Gravel Car Park. The local authority there agreed the pilot scheme at its last full meeting, with free parking in place every Saturday throughout July, August and September.