Ceredigion County Council’s Plaid Cymru Cabinet has voted to go ahead with plans to charge £5 for parking on Aberystwyth promenade despite a consultation drawing 106 objections and they themselves saying less than two years ago that it wouldn’t happen.

Cabinet members, meeting on Tuesday, 21 January, approved moving forward with the plan despite vehement opposition from residents and businesses.

The idea for charging for parking on Aberystwyth’s seafront had been proposed by the council’s Thriving Communities Scrutiny Committee as part of a package of parking measures for towns across the county.

The plans received backlash from residents, councillors and businesses.

A report into the proposal was noted by Cabinet members at the end of 2023 but was not progressed, with Plaid Cymru’s Cabinet releasing a social media statement ahead of a Penparcau county council by-election, saying the Cabinet had “decided not to charge for parking on Aberystwyth’s promenade.”

Just over a year later, and with a growing financial black-hole at the heart of council finances, the same cabinet has now approved the plans to charge people to park on the promenade, with charges coming in “as soon as practically possible.”

Cabinet members Cllr Alun Williams told the Cabinet meeting that Aberystwyth is an “outlier” among seaside towns having free parking on the seafront.

“We need to see how this scheme for the prom pans out,” he said.

“There is always a knock on effect when you make any type of changes you don’t necessarily want, and we need to monitor those.

“I’m sceptical that the eight to eight charging time is right, it could perhaps be a bit shorter, and there were legitimate comments about the pricing.

“But we’ve got to start somewhere or nothing will ever change.”

Cllr Shelley Childs said it was a “highly emotive” issue, and there will be an “inevitable” over-crowding of cars when the plan comes in.

He also called for permits for lower-wage workers to allow them to park on the promenade cheaply.

Objections received during a consultation on the plans said the move will “drive people out of town” and called the plan “completely and utterly unnecessary.”

A report put before members said that “none of the objections received raise significant issues.”

The changes will see 179 car parking spaces become chargeable along the length of New Promenade from Castle Point to Constitution Hill between 8am and 8pm, seven days a week.

Currently, motorists can park on the promenade for between two and four hours for free.

The new rates will be £3.50 for two hours, and £5 for four hours.

Blue badge holders will be exempt from charges.

Start-up costs, including new ticket machines, could reach £150,000, along with increased staff costs.

A council report said: “It is anticipated that charges will act as a deterrent to commuter and long-term parking related traffic from circulating the seafront in search of available free spaces and, encourage them to seek more appropriate off street parking provision to meet their parking needs.”