A LONG-awaited car park in Monmouth is set to open this week.

The Rockfield Road car park, which will offer 94 car parking spaces, is to open on 3rd December after work was completed recently.

Work on the Rockfield Road car park, which commenced in March, has been held up after changes were required to the lighting this month. On 1st November Monmouthshire County Council’s planning committee passed changes to the lighting which included installing streetlights rather than the lighting bollards which were originally intended.

The completion means the car park will be open in time for Monmouth’s first free Saturday parking date on 3rd December, intended to bring shoppers into Monmouthshire’s towns for Christmas shopping. Motorists will be able to use car parks in Monmouth, Chepstow and Abergavenny free of charge on Saturday 3rd, 10th and 17th December.

David Cummings, Chairman of Monmouth and District Chamber of Trade and Commerce commented: “It is fantastic news indeed that we have crossed the finishing line of a marathon that began when the chamber first proposed the car park back in 2008. We hope that those involved in the retail trade and Christmas shoppers will use this 94 space free car park and so free up space in the Blestium Street car parks.”