PROPOSED parking charges for car parks that are currently free to use have been published by Powys County Council.
Hourly charges could be introduced at car parks in Llandrindod Wells, Talgarth, Presteigne and Sennybridge while £65 resident parking permits are proposed for residential car parks Brecon, Llandrindod and Knighton.
Plans to introduce the charges were approved by the council’s cabinet last September.
A consultation on the charges is now due to open.
The council had planned to increase its revenue from parking charges in its medium tern financial strategy that was approved in February last year.
The council is now consulting on proposed charges at the Ridgebourne and Town Hall car parks in Llandrindod; the Station Yard car park Talgarth; Station Road, Sennybridge and bypass car park in Presteigne.
Charges for cars would run from 70p for a hour’s parking to £3.20 for more than four hours cars and motorbikes. Overnight parking for cars and motorbikes will remain free.
The council will also introduce residents permits at the Orchard Street and Duckham’s Yard car parks in Llanfaes, Brecon and at Tremont Road in Llandrindod and Market Street Knighton.
Households with two cars could have to fork out £135 a year to continue to use the car parks, which are mainly used for residential parking.
Householders would be entitled to a residential permit for £65 and a second permit for £70. Visitors’ permits, if available, would cost households another £75.
Powys County Council ran into a campaign of sustained public opposition when it last attempted to introduce the charges at its free to use car parks in 2009.
The council performed a u-turn within three months when it announced it wouldn’t consider charges until it had reviewed parking regulations across the county.
Since then the council has introduced its first residents’ parking scheme in Hay-on-Wye.
Councillor Gary Price, Conservative member for Llandrindod North, blasted the parking charge plan when it was approved by the independent cabinet in September.
He said: "I’m disgusted that the independent cabinet of Powys County Council are proposing to introduce car parking and residents permit charges on seven car parks throughout Brecon and Radnorshire, with two of them being in Llandrindod Wells.
"It is nothing short of penny pinching."
Pay and display machines at the five car parks, as well as two in Montgomeryshire, could cost the the council £34,000 to introduce and bring in £40,100 a year.
Residents permits in Brecon, Knighton, Llandrindod and Llanidloes are expected to bring in £8,650 a year. In total introducing the charges would cost the council £69,500, which would be recouped in two years.
It has previously been claimed agreements are in place for residents living near to the Orchard Street and Duckham’s Yard car parks in Llanfaes, Brecon to use the car parks for free.
A 500 signature petition was presented to the council in objection to the proposals for parking charges in Llanfaes in 2009.
The council has also been warned low use of the Sennybridge car park would make a pay and display machine unviable while the council had previously removed a pay and display machine from the Presteigne by-pass car park.