Ceredigion County Council is set to push ahead with plans to charge £5 for parking on Aberystwyth promenade to “deter commuters” and “increase parking space turnover” despite a consultation drawing 106 objections to just two letters of support.

Cabinet members, meeting on Tuesday, 21 January, have been recommended to approve moving forward with the plan despite vehement opposition from residents and businesses.

More than half of the objections raised concerns that the plans would deter visitors, with 41 per cent of objections saying the move would have a negative impact on town centre businesses.

Concerns were also raised over the loss of parking for those working and living in the town centre, with calls for a wider review of Aberystwyth parking to take place before any changes are brought forward.

Objections described parking in the town centre currently as a “lottery” which will be made worse by having to pay to park on the prom.

Others said the move will “drive people out of town” and called the plan “completely and utterly unnecessary.”

Others branded it “stupid and selfish.”

The scheme is earmarked to raise £400,000 for council coffers this year, despite not having yet got the go ahead, with concerns raised that the consultation was merely a formality and the decision pre-determined.

A report to be put before members said that “none of the objections received raise significant issues that require any amendment to the proposal, or indeed that were not identified by officers during the development of the proposals.”

If given the go-ahead, charges will be introduced along the length of New Promenade from Castle Point to Constitution Hill between 8am and 8pm, seven days a week.

The proposed rates are £3.50 for two hours, and £5 for four hours.

Blue badge holders will be exempt from charges.

The changes will see 179 car parking spaces become chargeable along the promenade.

The council’s own report into the plans warned there would be “considerable opposition” from residents and business owners and could discourage visitors.

A report into the proposal was noted by Cabinet members at the end of last year but was not progressed.

Faced with having to fund millions of pounds to balance its budget for 2024/25, however, a draft budget report recommended that “proposals for charging on the promenade be “brought forward as soon as is practically possible.”

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

Start-up costs, including new ticket machines, signs, and bay painting 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.”

The report said that if the plan is given the green light by Cabinet members, the charges on Aberystwyth promenade will “take effect as soon as practically possible.”