Proposed changes to car park charging for Monmouth have been dropped in favour of increasing the capacity of car park spaces in the town.

A report produced by Capita Symonds in 2010 and presented at a public meeting in February of this year suggested extending the charging period to 6pm and introducing Sunday charging, but further investigation has revealed that Monmouth is suffering from a lack in car park spaces, especially at the top end of town.

Roger Hoggins, Monmouthshire County Council's (MCC) head of infrastructure and sustainability, told town planners that further Capita Symonds workshops, and their own officers' recommendations, have highlighted problems in Monmouth as being centred around lack of spaces for tourists and shoppers.

Too many Blue Badges have been issued and extra coach parking is required, according to some of the comments put forward in a feedback document.

Other suggestions include working with local schools to manage demand during school hours and not charging for the first hour, coupled with increasing the overstay penalty to £5, would help to maximise usage in existing car parks.

"I have a meeting this Wednesday (November 23rd), with officers previously involved with looking at additional parking in the town," said Mr Hoggins.

For the full story see Beacon 23/11/11