A FREE car park in Monmouth is set to begin construction soon, with work aiming to be started later this month.

Work on the new 95-space car park on Rockfield Road is set to start between February and March according to Roger Hoggins, head of operations at Monmouthshire County Council (MCC).

The Rockfield Road site will accommodate nearly 100 spaces, and is to be sited opposite Monmouth’s fire and ambulance centre and adjacent to Monmouth skate park after the plans for the car park were passed in August 2014.

In a meeting with the Central Monmouth Area Committee last week, it was also announced that plans for a new car park in Wyebridge Street have also been submitted to planning. The car park, which has previously raised concerns about access, will avoid Granville Street as previously thought, and will instead enter and exit from Wyebridge Street.

While the new car park on Rockfield Road will be free, the new car park in Wyebridge Street will be a pay car park. It was also said in the meeting that permission would be sought to convert the car park on Cinderhill Street into a paid parking area.

Any money from car park charges will go towards improvements, new machines and refurbishments. The parking machines used by council are no longer made, and will need replacing. Since car parking cannot be an income generator, any money raised can only be used for maintenance.

MCC Independent Councillor Debbie Blakeborough raised the importance of getting “balance” with parking, encouraging people to linger and spend money in town by creating parking for retail at the top of town.

Cllr Bob Hayward agreed, raising the “severe” problems with street parking in Monmouth, and quoting a report that suggested that a balance between street and permanent car parking would be most suitable for Monmouth.

It was also suggested by Cllr David Fletcher that disabled access was “dangerous” at the top of town, with some drivers being forced to exit their vehicles into traffic.

The possibility of decriminalising parking, allowing the council to issue tickets but it was suggested that Gwent Police “don’t seem that interested” in pursuing that possibility.