MONMOUTH Town Council has given its full backing to plans for a free 95-space car park with four

disabled bays.

Monmouthshire County Council, (MCC) has applied for the car park opposite Monmouth's fire station, adjacent to the new skatepark, which will have a permeable surface to relieve acknowledged parking problems in the town.

Access will be from the existing gate which services the Wonastow pumping station, which will be widened.

A footpath will connect to the existing pavement running alongside Rockfield Road.

Plans shown below leave space for a pay and display machine, but the

Beacon has been assured that this is a planning formality, and if the car park is given the go-ahead, it will be free to use.

The town council voted to recommend removing the proposed height restriction barrier to the area, there was some concern that no space had been put aside for coach parking or an overnight lorry stop.

David Cummings. Chairman of Monmouth and District Chamber of Trade and Commerce commented: "The Chamber established the need for a car park in this location, opposite the fire station back in 2009 and had plans drawn up.

"The logic of a free car park in this location has also been proposed by Parsons Brinckerhoff in their 2014 report on changes to the parking regime in the county.

"We very much welcome the decision by MCC to put plans in for a 95 space free car park and feel that the main beneficiaries of this will be the hundreds of shop workers in Monmouth, some on the basic minimum wage and zero hour contracts, who find difficulty affording to pay for parking in the MCC pay and display car parks. Additional benefits are likely to be less likelihood of shop workers taking up parking in residential streets close to town and the freeing up of space in the Glendower Street car park for residents and visitors."

The town council have recommended to approve the application which will now go before MCC's own planning department.