Portaloos placed outside a now-closed visitor centre are costing the taxpayer £15,000 for six months, a freedom of information request has revealed.
The portable toilets were placed across disabled parking bays outside Bwlch Nant yr Arian's visitor centre after bosses at National Resources Wales decided to close it on 31 March, despite fierce local objection.
Campaigners fighting to reopen the doors at these sites submitted a freedom of information request for the cost of certain services now staff have left.
The request has revealed the portaloos at Bwlch Nant yr Arian are costing £15,080 for a six month hire period.
A tender has also gone out for the contract to feed the red kites daily at the site, which NRW estimates will cost around £4,900 and will include other jobs on the site.
At Ynyslas, the cost for putting up a fence to protect the Ringed Plover and taking it down again is £2,100.
NRW has confirmed that car parking at Ynyslas will be run by local company Diogel, who have been awarded a one year contract, with a possible extension of up to three years, to provide full-time site management for the beach car park at Ynyslas Visitor Centre.
“There are no changes to the free parking for residents who live within the qualifying area.”
A beverage and cold food concession is now however operating at Bwlch Nant yr Arian Visitor Centre.
NRW says it is working with Y Consti, part of the Aberystwyth Cliff Railway charity, to provide a unit selling beverages and cold food.
Elsie Grace, NRW’s Head of Sustainable Commercial Development, said: “We would like to welcome Y Consti to Bwlch Nant yr Arian and look forward to working with them over the coming year.
“Y Consti aligns with our values and principles to protect the environment and promote sustainability.
“We are now focused on the process to find partners to register an interest in providing longer-term services at Bwlch Nant yr Arian and Coed y Brenin.
“We are finalising how and when we will go to market for these opportunities and we hope to communicate more information soon.”
The unit will be open 10am to 5pm, six days per week, from the beginning of Easter to the end of the autumn half term holidays and from 10am to 4pm, five days per week at other times of the year.
It will be open every weekend and all bank holidays.
Alun Davies, general manager of Aberystwyth Cliff Railway, said: “We are pleased to be working with NRW to provide drinks and cold food for visitors to Bwlch Nant yr Arian, bringing more than 20 years’ experience in catering.
“We will be using sustainably sourced food, compostable single use products and will avoid using pre plastic wrapped products where possible.”