A SURVEY of Tredegar Park’s car park has been ordered by Newport City Council amidst plans to introduce parking charges.

Installing parking meters across city parks was one of several money-saving proposals passed in the council’s 2018/19 budget earlier this year.

Charges were first introduced at Belle Vue Park in August, with Tredegar Park and Fourteen Locks Canal Centre in Rogerstone earmarked as potential future sites.

Officers are currently gathering data on Tredegar Park’s parking capacity ahead of consideration for the 2019/20 budget.

The move was criticised by Conservative councillor David Fouweather at a meeting of the place and corporate performance scrutiny committee on Monday.

“Parking [at Tredegar Park] is a dog’s breakfast, it’s very busy,” said Cllr Fouweather.

“Tredegar Park has huge sporting activity and you’re going to be charging people money to take part in, or watch, those sports.

“Do you now think that might put off local clubs from using those parks and that they may go elsewhere?”

Cllr Fouweather also hit out at the charges at Belle Vue Park, a move he said was made to stop workers and visitors of the Royal Gwent Hospital from parking there.

He added: “Tredegar Park and Belle Vue Park are totally different. Who parks their car in Tredegar Park and goes to work all day?”

Newport Independents councillor Chris Evans, chair of the committee, warned Cllr Fouweather about posing ‘political’ questions to the officers.

But Cllr Fouweather said officers had to justify their recommendations to the members of the Labour cabinet which approved them.

Paul Jones, head of street scene, admitted charges were introduced partly to crackdown on non-visitors using the facilities but said the main reason for them was to pay for upkeep.

“We spend around £400,000 per year maintaining them and we have to find a source of revenue to keep that maintained,” he said.

“It’s a balancing act – we need to keep them open, but we have to pay for them.

“The decision on charging parks was passed in principle. Business cases for any future charges would be presented back to scrutiny and back to the relevant cabinet member.”

The meeting heard that all money raised through the parking meters would be ringfenced and spent only on the park.

Labour councillor Miqdad Al-Nuaimi asked about physical changes being made to Belle Vue Park’s parking facilities, while also calling for better consultation of those that could be affected by future parking charges.

Mr Jones said work was ongoing to create more spaces and that they would be made available “after the winter”.