A petition opposing plans to build 30 affordable homes on a Ceredigion seaside town car park, with a local group concerned about the loss of parking facilities, has attracted nearly 1,000 signatures to date.

Housing association Barcud is seeking permission from Ceredigion County Council for the 100 per cent affordable scheme at Central Car Park, Towyn Road, New Quay, following an earlier pre-application consultation.

The application was recommended for conditional approval at the March meeting of the council’s development management committee, having been deferred from the February meeting for a site visit.

The site currently operates as a pay and display car park, owned and managed by Barcud as a commercial enterprise, which it says it could cease at any time.

The proposal includes keeping 91 of the parking spaces at the site, which council officers say could be secured “in perpetuity” if the scheme is approved.

New Quay Town Council has objected to the proposals, raising concerns including the loss of parking spaces and its impact on the tourism industry, a lack of public transport in the town to cater for additional residents, and also questions the demand for one-bed units in the town, and 29 objections raised similar issues.

At the March planning meeting, local member Cllr Matthew Vaux told the committee the New Quay Traders Association had “submitted a number of significant documents” in which they “raised real concerns as to procedural irregularities”.

He said, for a town where “tourism is the economic lifeblood,” to “fail to consider the reduction of parking is indefensible,” adding the “negative effects are profound for locals and traders”.

“The last thing the town wants is to gain a reputation as an inconvenient place to park.”

He also said there were “inconsistencies” in the stated demand for certain types of housing, along with limited public transport.

Officers told members they didn’t consider there were “any substantive new points” raised by the objectors’ recent “11th hour” submissions, leading Cllr Gareth Lloyd to propose the application be deferred once again to consider the new information, backed by Cllr Rhodri Evans, who said: “It’s not ideal, but we do need to have all the information in front of us.”

At the March meeting, the application was deferred to a future meeting, expected to be April.

Since that deferral, New Quay Traders Association has created an online change.org petition which has attracted 981 signatures to date.

That petition, Save New Quay car park -Protect our future, says: “As small business owners and advocates for sustainable tourism, we are deeply concerned about the proposed construction project on New Quay car park. This development will result in the loss of 224 parking spaces in the heart of our community. This equates to a total loss of 30 per cent of New Quay’s current parking provision.

“It’s not the need for affordable homes that we oppose, but the chosen location. With less parking, the lifeblood of our local economy- the small businesses and tourism industry-is poised to suffer greatly.”