Charges at two Barry car parks to change from April

Currently, to park at Harbour Road and Nell’s Point you pay £1.10 for an hour and £6.50 for all day, with a reduced rate of £3 for the rest of the day when paying from 4.01pm onwards.

The changes, set to come in place at the beginning of April, will see charges increase at each parking site, but also the length of time you get to park there will vary.

New parking prices at Nell’s Point and Harbour Road see charges change to £2 for two hours, £4 for four hours, £6 for six hours and £8 for all day.

On March 6, Vale Council revealed their proposed budget for 2024/25 which looked to help the local authority save more than £7m.

The proposals included new and increased parking fees, less street cleaning and council tax rises of 6.7 per cent.

On the parking charge changes, a council spokesperson said: “The council will be altering car parking charges at its coastal resorts both for individual visits and its value coastal car parking permit scheme.

“Permits are valid for all the chargeable coastal carparks namely, Harbour Road and Nells Point in Barry Island, Cymlau and Brig-Y-Don in Southerndown and Rivermouth in Ogmore-by-Sea and will cost £60 for six months and £100 for 12 months from April 12.

“From this date, individual car parking will also cost £2 for up to two hours, £4 for up to four hours, £6 for up to six hours and £8 for all day at these locations.” 

Harbour Road car park Barry (Image: Google Maps)

Payment changes to two crucial car parks in Barry

Harbour Road car park and Nell’s Point pay and display are probably two of the most crucial car parks in Barry, especially in the holiday season.

The car parks, found at either end of Whitmore Bay, provide some of the largest parking provision to the island and the surrounding area.

Vale Council has argued these charge changes had to be done with the council under huge financial pressure.

A council spokesperson said: “This change is a necessary move as the council looks to overcome an unprecedented financial challenge.

“Throughout the recent budget-setting process, the council stressed that difficult and unpalatable decisions would need to be made in the face of decreasing funding and significantly rising costs caused in part by soaring energy prices, inflation and interest rates.”

Parking charge change at Nell's Point (Image: Google Maps)

Whitmore Bay. One of the hot tourists spots of Barry (Image: Google Maps)

• Read more: 'A budget that protects the most vulnerable'. Vale Council reveals budget for 2024/25 

​‘Much better now’/ ‘Disgusting’: Thoughts on new car park charges at Nell’s Point and Harbour Road in Barry

The change in rates has divided opinion online with some preferring the increase in choices, while others are furious.

One person in favour of the changes wrote online: “I’m happy to see two hours for £2. Previously it was £1.25 for one hour then you had to pay a whole day rate for over an hour. Least I have time to walk my dog round the Island and have a cuppa in two hours.”

Another person said: “Much better now. Most locals just want to pop down for a couple of hours.

“Now it’s more affordable and realistic, also £8 for a whole day for tourists is not bad. Many other destinations charge a lot more.”

However one person online commented: “It’s disgusting if you ask me.

“In other car parks you’re allowed to apply for a resident card which when used at parking spots would give one or two hours free then the rest of the charges were reduced compared to what non-card holders had to pay.

“To be a resident of an area and have to pay even for a small amount of time is an absolute joke.”

Similar rate changes will apply to Clifftop and Brig-Y-Don in Southerdown and Rivermouth in Ogmore-by-Sea.

What do you think of the parking charge changes? More options, or does it just mean you are forking out more? What do you think of the parking situation on the island, and in Barry?

Let us know, emailing harry.jamshidian@newsquest.co.uk.

Got a story in Barry? Email harry.jamshidian@newsquest.co.uk.