Aberystwyth Chamber of Commerce backs Mill Street plans

Aberystwyth's Chamber of Commerce, which represents around 60 town centre small businesses, has given conditional backing to the building of a multi-storey car park and major supermarket on the town's Mill Street car park.

A letter from the Chamber, sent last Friday, says,

"The Aberystwyth Chamber of Commerce would like to express their support for the decision made to appoint a Tesco-led development on Mill St.

"This support is conditional upon there being sufficient municipal car parking provision that is available for all users of the town centre and not exclusive to the users of the Mill St development.

"Whilst Tesco may not be an ideal choice for a lot of people the primary consideration must be to ensure that the Mill St development takes place as quickly as possible to provide a regeneration fillip to the town. We are hopeful that this can be a catalyst to attract other quality retailers such as Marks and Spencer onto the other available sites within or close to the Town Centre.

"As ever the devil is in the detail in these deals and we would appreciate being kept informed of progress so that we can maintain a supportive role in the process.

"As an aside, it would have been a considerate gesture from the developer if consideration could have been made to relocating or retaining the day centre within the development."

Meanwhile, this morning's meeting of the Council's Economic Development Scrutiny Committee voted, following a lively and lengthy discussion on all the ramifications, to back the Cabinet's decision last Tuesday (see story below) to support the Mill Street scheme with the additional recommendation that, "All capital receipts be retained by the Council to sustain and enhance the retail provision of the town". The discussion was held after six councillors (including this one) signed a motion to 'call-in' the Cabinet decision for more scrutiny.

Open public discussion of the scheme has been beset by commercial confidentiality and procurement regulation restrictions. Full details are now expected to be made public in the next couple of weeks.

Mill Street decision called in

The decision of Ceredigion Council's Cabinet to appoint a developer for Aberystwyth's Mill Street Car Park Scheme has been 'called in' by backbench councillors.

Under the Council's standing orders, a Cabinet decision can be called back for discussion by the wider Council before being enacted. The Cabinet decided, at their meeting on 13th September, to appoint the highest scoring tender for the site ('Bidder A') using a matrix for deciding competing bids set up by the Council under strict European procurement regulations.  The Cabinet voted to authorise Council Officers to agree and finalise all contracts associated with the development and to authorise officers to also explore any further development opportuniites emerging elsewhere in the town. 

Six councillors are required to sign a call-in request and that number was reached only a few hours before today's 5pm deadline. The wider Council will now discuss the plans atv a meeting within the next couple of weeks, although commercial confidentiality rules will prevent this being held in public. The issue will then go back to the next meeting of the Cabinet who will take on board the views of the wider Council but still have the final say. 

Update:
Following the call-in, the issue will be discussed in a closed session towards the end of  a meeting of the Economic Development, Tourism and Europe Scrutiny Committee on the morning of Wednesday 28th September. The motion to call-in the decision was signed by councillors Ellen ap Gwynn, Alun Lloyd Jones, Ian ap Dewi, Gareth Davies, John Roberts and myself with support from the committee chair, Liz Evans.

Surprising things about Aberystwyth #1 - Topiary in Penparcau

Mill Street Plans to go public soon

Ceredigion Council Officers have chosen a preferred scheme for the Mill Street car park in Aberystwyth – but won’t make it public until the scheme is discussed and agreed by the Council Cabinet.

In February the Cabinet resolved, “To promote the development of a multi-storey car park on Mill Street as a key strategic aim of the authority”, and authorised officers to undertake a procurement exercise to select a company to develop the idea. The Officers have now chosen a preferred bidder, out of three companies submitting tenders, by a process of ‘competitive dialogue’ which involved judging the bids against a ‘matrix’ of criteria. These included the planning content and design, the ability to deliver the plan, the financial package proposed and the overall economic benefit.

The officers’ report will be discussed at a closed session of the Council Cabinet on Tuesday morning.

Update
Following Tuesday's Cabinet meeting, the Mill Street decision will not now be made public before 5pm on Thursday 22nd Sept as this is the deadline for the decision to be 'called in' (i.e. challenged). If no call-in is received, the decision will probably be announced the following day. If the decision is called in, the result will not be announced until this process is complete, probably in a week or two's time.

Plans to close Defra Veterinary Laboratory in Aberystwyth

More public sector jobs are under threat in Aberystwyth following the recent revelation that the Defra Veterinary Laboratory on the Buarth has been earmarked for closure.

The Prospect trade union has revealed that the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA) has submitted proposals to the Westminster Environment Secretary, Caroline Spelman MP, which would see both Aberystwyth and Carmarthen laboratories closed by April 2013.

Ceredigion's Assembly Member Elin Jones AM said:

“I’ve long suspected that a move to close the vet lab at Aberystwyth was on the cards but those closure plans have been resisted until now. Losing good science-based jobs will be a big blow to Ceredigion.

“In Aberystwyth there is a longstanding expertise in agriculture and land-based jobs with the University and IBERS, but this would be eroded by the closure of the vet lab.

“Closing both the labs at Aberystwyth and Carmarthen will leave Wales without any such facilities. Given the high livestock numbers in Wales, the work carried out in these Defra centres is essential in the fight to eradicate animal diseases such as Foot and Mouth, Bovine TB and Bluetongue”.

The closure would mean people having to go to Shrewsbury for the service in future. There's been no local consultation on the proposals and seemingly no consideration of how the closure might affect the local area. Aberystwyth can't afford to lose another key public sector facility with the knock-on effects for the wider local economy.

Aberystwyth and the Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation

Aberystwyth’s standing in the Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation, published last week, contains one or two surprises.

The Index divides Wales into 1896 areas of about 1,500 people each and places them in order. Here’s how the different areas of Aberystwyth fared in the overall result, 1896 being the best possible score and 1 being the worst:

Bronglais - 1822
Gogledd / North - 1584
Rheidol 2 - 1369
Rheidol 1 - 1203
Canol / Central - 1076
Penparcau 2 - 747
Penparcau 1 - 652

To make up these overall figures each area is scored on a range of indicators. Out of the 1896, Bronglais Ward is number 23 in Wales in terms of employment and number 56 in terms of income.

What is really surprising is the results for the town centre. Central Ward is the second best in Wales for proximity of access to services but the very worst, bar none, for quality of housing.

Elin Jones to stand for Plaid leadership

Elin Jones, Welsh Assembly Member for Ceredigion, today announced her intention to stand for the leadership of Plaid Cymru. Full statement below:

"Today I am announcing my intention to stand for election as Plaid Cymru’s next Leader. I believe that I have the strength of character and clarity of vision to be the party’s Leader, and I have spoken to many members and supporters over the summer weeks to gauge views on the party’s future and my role in that future. I will now be putting my name forward to stand for Party Leader when nominations open.

"Plaid Cymru has achieved a great deal for Wales over the past few years. This year saw the establishment of Wales’ first legislative Parliament and the completion of Plaid’s first-ever term in Government. Now a new chapter is opening for Plaid Cymru. Our task is to strengthen our country’s autonomy and economy, and to make the case to the people of Wales that our nation is better served by independence than dependence.

"Unlike the British parties, our job is never to manage Wales, but to build Wales. Sometimes Plaid will contribute to that work from within Government, sometimes from outside. However, our aims remain clear: that we build our country’s independence and that we work to achieve economic prosperity and social justice for our people.

"We need, as a Party, to reach out to a wider array of voters. We cannot just speak to ourselves, we need now to go out and talk to, and for, everyone in Wales. Over the coming months I will outline clearly how I believe we can reach out to people and build our support.

"I have held many offices within Plaid Cymru, both locally in Ceredigion and nationally, as Party Chair and now Director of Communications. I have been a Town Councillor and, since 1999, an Assembly Member for Plaid Cymru. I began my working career as an Economist, and politics has been a lifelong interest and passion.

"I am a West Walian and a proud Cardi. Had I lived in any other country in the world, I would still have been a republican and a socialist. But as a Welsh citizen, then I am also a Welsh nationalist. I speak both languages of Wales.

"I am passionate and ambitious for my country. An occasional Welsh Grand Slam or Gold Medal is great, but is not enough for me. I want to see Wales as a self-governing nation placed among the best countries of the world in terms of its education, economic and environmental achievements too.

"If elected its Leader, then my party can expect 100% dedication from me. I am a hard-worker and a team player. Winning a tough marginal seat such as Ceredigion four times on the trot would not have been possible without those characteristics.

"I enjoy meeting people and working for people. My constituents know that I am there for them – whether in a formal surgery, on the end of a phone or in the supermarket aisle on a Saturday afternoon. Gaining people’s trust is a necessity for any politician. I have done so in Ceredigion and in my recent role as Rural Affairs Minister. I can do it again as Plaid’s Leader.

"I can be trusted to listen, to take tough decisions and win arguments. But, most importantly, I have learnt that there is little point in taking those tough decisions or winning those arguments in isolation. I can take people with me.

"Today is my 45th birthday. I was born in Carmarthen, in 1966, on Gwynfor’s birthday, September 1st. That makes me acutely aware of the longer-term struggle by Plaid members and supporters in seeking to establish an independent nation. Many have known darker political times than me. However, realising the ambition of national freedom should continue to unite and motivate us all.

"Plaid Cymru has achieved so much for Wales over its 86 year history. But so much remains to be done. As we begin our party’s next chapter, and Wales’ first chapter with its legislative Parliament, I am ready to lead Plaid Cymru."

Paul jumps for safety

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's Plaid Cymru councillor Paul James on one of three bungee jumps this weekend to raise money for CCTV cameras on the Llanbadarn to Aberystwyth cycle path.

It has to be said there are mixed views about the desirability of CCTV cameras on the path. The campaign was started following two robberies at knifepoint on the path in September and November last year, attacks that came as a huge shock to a town entirely unused to crimes of that nature, having one of the lowest crime rates in the country. 

Since they haven't been repeated anywhere in the area, there is a view that the attacks may have been the work of outsiders who have moved on. The question is being asked whether the apparently diminishing need to act to prevent further attacks is outweighed by concerns about loss of privacy and how extensive CCTV coverage looks like becoming in our society. 

What isn't in doubt, though, is the commitment to the safety of local residents shown by Paul, a County Councillor for Llanbadarn Fawr Sulien Ward, just outside Aberystwyth. In April he arranged a 3-day bag pack with Communities First at Morrison's supermarket, which borders the path, raising £4,922.

This weekend's series of three jumps, one after the other, was taken from the highest bungee platform in the UK at Windsor, measuring 100 metres. At 50-odd years of age, that's no mean feat and the jumps are set to raise well over another £4,000 in sponsorship. I'm just glad we're not looking at a by-election.

Anyone wishing to donate money to the campaign can e-mail Paul  at paulj@ceredigion.gov.uk

Bodlondeb saved

Ceredigion Council yesterday agreed not to close Bodlondeb residential home in Aberystwyth. The decision was taken at a closed Budget Workshop.

The meeting heard a range of options for finding the extra money required and, although a final decision was not taken on this, council officers agreed to go away and work on it. One option could be to increase Council Tax.

Council Leader Keith Evans, an unapologetic fiscal conservative, made his unhappiness at the decision clear but accepted the overwhelming view from both sides of the Council that Bodlondeb should remain open in response to a sustained public campaign of support. The Council are due to put out a press statement later today.

Gelli Anwen

Former mayor of Aberystwyth Afan ab Alun today unveiled the new name for the 200 metre footpath leading from North Road in Aberystwyth up to Castell Brychan, the home of Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru, the Welsh Books Council. The footpath is named Gelli Anwen after his late wife Anwen Tydu. The plaque, funded by Aberystwyth Town Council, explains, in poetry and prose, how she used to climb and descend the 107 steps of the steep path four times a day over a period of twenty years, adding up to over thirty thousand passages.

The occasion was filmed by the S4C TV programme Wedi 7.

Ceredigion Cabinet split as Bodlondeb decision delayed

Ceredigion’s Council Cabinet today voted to defer any decision on closing Bodlondeb residential home in Aberystwyth until further meetings and discussions have been held. But the Cabinet was split after a proposal to abandon the plans altogether was defeated.

A coach load of local residents had travelled down to Aberaeron to witness the debate on the Council’s Feasibility Report into plans for transferring residents at the Council-run Bodlondeb in Penparcau to the site of the privately-run Hafan y Waun at Waun Fawr on the other side of Aberystwyth.

The split came when Council Leader Keith Evans proposed that the item be deferred until a Budgetary Workshop meeting involving the whole Council was held. This would discuss the proposals in the context of the overall council budget. However this proposal seemed to surprise some Cabinet members, who had already met for a ‘pre-Cabinet meeting’ earlier in the morning.

Hag Harris, Cabinet Member for Social Services and therefore the councillor with the portfolio for the issue, proposed that plans to close Bodlondeb be abandoned altogether. The proposal was greeted by huge cheers and a standing ovation from the public gallery.

He was supported by Ceredig Davies, Cabinet Member for Education, whose portfolio could be in the frame for providing some of the extra money needed to maintain Bodlondeb. However they were outvoted by other Cabinet members who all backed the Council Leader’s proposal to discuss the plans further. Those voting against the proposal to abandon the closure included Carl Williams, Lib Dem councillor for North ward in Aberystwyth, along with his Lib Dem colleague, Eurfyl Evans and the various Independents on the Cabinet.

It was an emotional roller coaster for the dozens of people in the public gallery who momentarily thought their campaign to save Bodlondeb had succeeded following Hag Harris’s intervention. The sight of the Council Leader clashing publically with the responsible Cabinet Member, having first had the opportunity to agree a mutual stance at a preliminary meeting, is very unusual and it was clear there was annoyance on both sides.

Councillors were later notified that the Budgetary Workshop to discuss the plans further will be held on the morning of Tuesday 26th July. It’s not yet clear if the public will be allowed to attend.

Rheidol ward by-election candidates declared

Candidates have been declared for a Town Council by-election in Aberystwyth's Rheidol ward.

Plaid Cymru's candidate is Samantha Mackenzie-Grieve, the well-known co-owner of MG's cafe in Chalybeate Street. The full list of candidates is:

Sam Mackenzie-Grieve (Plaid)

Tim Foster (Greens)

Wendy Morris-Twiddy (Lib Dem)

Martin Shewring (Independent)

The election has been called after Martin Shewring, a sitting town councillor, resigned from both the Lib Dems and the Council following an internal argument within his party. He's been strongly criticised for wasting council money (up to £1600 to hold the election) in resigning only ten months before the next full round of local elections in May 2012. 

Most people who leave their parties stay on under their new label until the next election. On the other hand, those councillors, AMs and MPs who've done exactly that are habitually told they should have put their new allegiance to their electorate. So it could be argued that he's acted with integrity.

Rheidol ward was a safe Lib Dem ward for many years until Aled Davies caused the biggest shock for some time in Aberystwyth politics by winning a County Council by-election there for Plaid Cymru in June 2008.

The election will be held on August 4th.

Bodlondeb - Cabinet decision due on Tuesday

Ceredigion Council’s controversial Feasibility Study into closing Bodlondeb Residential Home in Penparcau in favour of a new facility at Hafan y Waun has concluded that the idea is...wait for it....feasible. Well, what else did anyone expect from a Feasibility Study?

However the study, published yesterday, seems to show that the cost of re-furbishing Bodlondeb and avoiding the closure would not be the £300,000 first talked about but, in fact, only £268,000 over many years. The cost in the first four years is put at total of £113,400, a relatively small amount in terms of the County Council’s budget. On the other hand a new facility at Hafan y Waun would apparently cost £74,000 less per year to maintain.

The report includes submissions from a number of organisations critical of the proposals. Ystwyth Medical Group said,

“The local demographic is of an aged population with the trend likely to continue. The trend will lead to an increased demand for residential services in the future....The empty wing at Hafan y Waun gives an ideal opportunity for local EMI services to be provided as previously promised. At present vulnerable EMI patients are sent out of county, causing distress to the patients and their carers/family.”

The study concludes by saying that the move to Hafan y Waun, owned by Methodist Homes Association, is feasible but goes no further, simply recommending that the Cabinet gives this 'consideration'. The decision will therefore be a political one by members of the Council's Independent/Lib Dem/Labour Cabinet.

Another packed meeting in Penparcau last night, organised by Ceredigion Against the Cuts, agreed to demonstrate outside the County Council Offices in Aberaeron on Tuesday morning when the Council’s Cabinet meeting will be discussing the report. The meeting begins at 10am.

The feasibility study can be seen via this link. In the list of agenda items, click on Adroddiadau Adrannol Gwasanaethau Cymdeithasol or Social Services Departmental Reports (depending on language) and go to page 80.

Filming council meetings – Ceredigion set to join the revolution

Ceredigion Council looks set to open up its meetings to film and sound recording, following a discussion by the full Council yesterday.

The issue was discussed in the light of the incident in Carmarthen on June 6th in which someone filming a meeting on their mobile from the public gallery of Carmarthenshire Council was led away in handcuffs and put in a police cell (see story three posts down, with links).

Since then, a Wales-wide campaign to open up council meetings to recording has taken off, recognising that both the Assembly and Westminster governments allow this and the technology that the average person in the street possesses has now moved ahead of council policy and practice.

The clear consensus of the Ceredigion meeting was that the Council should open up, although within the consensus there were different views. Most supported the Council arranging for the filming of meetings and making that available to the public. But many strongly opposed allowing ad hoc recording on mobile phones, believing this could be made to show a distorted picture by editing.

My feeling is that this fails to understand that anything publically available can be copied and edited in any case. There would be little point in the Council bothering to prevent mobile phone filming and the easy availability of a better quality version would make it less likely anyway. The possession by the Council of an original version would act as a safeguard.

There was a slight suspicion that the occasional press reporter might already have resorted to sound recordings themselves (citing accurate reporting of detailed speeches without apparently writing them down).

I made the point that having a recording of meetings can actually help the Council in some circumstances (for example, legal challenges) and would be more likely to lead to accuracy of reporting.

One councillor proposed consulting S4C on the best system to use, something that could perhaps open up a new avenue for them.

At the end of the debate the Chief Executive agreed to put together a report on the options for the electronic recording of meetings for the Council to consider within a couple of months and some kind of provision looks certain to be set up.

Talking to senior Ceredigion officers, it’s clear they would not have reacted in the draconian way that Carmarthenshire Council did in the first place. But it’s interesting how that over-reaction now looks likely to lead to positive change across Wales, with many other Councils and public bodies due to debate the issue in the next few weeks.

Ceredigion to pursue cruelty-free cleaning policy

Ceredigion Council today agreed to look into adopting a policy of only using cleaning products which have not been tested on animals.

Having been lobbied by the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection at the last Plaid Cymru conference, I presented a motion to the Council proposing that only products approved under the BUAV’s Humane Household Products Standard would be used in future.

Council officers see little problem with the idea and think there would be minimal cost implication. The scheme works in a similar way to Fairtrade which Ceredigion is already signed up to.

Councillors at the meeting wanted to check out the practicalities but agreed to the principle and directed their officers to produce a report which will hopefully lead to the idea becoming Council policy.

Aberystwyth developers request more greenfeld land for housing

Developers in the Aberystwyth area have proposed a number of greenfield sites for housing development in addition to those proposed by the Council in the deposit version of their Local Development Plan. The new sites proposed are:

*  Land at Ropewalk Fields at the foot of Pen Dinas off Penparcau Road in Trefechan (pictured).

*  Land on the seaward side of Pen Dinas, this time behind the new houses towards the far end of Felin y Mor Road, Trefechan.

*  A substantial area of land on the north side of Primrose Hill in Llanbadarn Fawr

*  A small section of land between the new hospital car park on Clarach Road and the existing Plashendre

*  Land 'for various uses' opposite Bryncarnedd Caravan Park on the Clarach Road

*  A large section of land just past Midfield caravan park on the Southgate–Capel Seion Road

*  A large section of land on the north side of Capel Seion

*  A small section at the Llanfarian end of the Rhydyfelin-Llanfarian cyclepath

The proposals are currently out for consultation. A link to have a closer look and submit views is here. Click on the 'Aberystwyth settlement group'.

The deadline for submissions is July 12th.

Update
One reader has pointed out this on-line petition to the Welsh Government about over-inflation of housing numbers in LDPs which may be of interest.

Council meetings should allow filming

I was talking at Friday's Aberystwyth bloggers meet-up about Jacqui Thompson, the blogger who was ejected from a Carmarthenshire Council meeting for filming on her mobile phone and subsequently handcuffed and put in a cell by Carmarthen police. The incident has now been picked up by the wider press and the general outcry looks likely to lead to a change of thinking by Councils.

A journalist/blogger from Cardiff said she was used to going to Assembly meetings and seeing those fully televised so couldn't understand how Councils could be any different. I must say I agree. Councils allow public and press to attend most meetings so there would really be no difference in principle if council debates were televised, if anyone was sufficiently interested, that is.

There's no doubt that being filmed can be stressful, and most local councillors aren't really geared up for that degree of limelight, but, now we're in a new technological age, I think it's something that has to be accepted at all levels of government in the interests of openness and transparency in the 21st century.

I don’t buy the idea, promoted by some elements of the English press, that anyone taking part in democracy effectively has no right to a private life, but a general rule of thumb should be that any meeting open to the public should allow filming from the public gallery, whether by professional broadcasters or the general public. At least there won't be any misquotes.

Update: Since writing this post I've come across this petition to the Welsh Government which takes the idea a step further.

Aberystwyth loses its traffic wardens

Ceredigion, and Aberystwyth in particular, has come in for an unaccustomed spot of UK-wide publicity recently (here and on tonight's One Show) with the story about the breakdown of street parking control (covered regularly on this blog). This is my take on it:

Councils across the country are taking over control of street parking from the police. It’s called Civil Parking Enforcement. All of Ceredigion’s immediate council neighbours have either already done this or have announced firm plans to do so.

Money that police traffic wardens claim in parking fines goes straight to the UK Treasury. It’s not even retained by the local police force. The great advantage of Civil Parking Enforcement is that, unlike the police, Councils can use the money from parking fines to reinvest in local traffic management according to local needs. It’s a complete no-brainer.

Ceredigion Council have, uniquely, over a period of many years, and for reasons of what I’d describe as stubborn conservatism (others have described it as burying their heads in the sand), simply refused to take up these powers.

The police, under increasing financial pressures, and having given up on the nice approach, finally lost patience with Ceredigion Council and announced it was withdrawing its traffic warden service.

Shocked out of their complacency, and never actually believing that the police would take such drastic action, despite all the warnings, the Council then belatedly agreed to take on the responsibility for street parking that they’ve tried for years to avoid. The problem is, the whole scheme takes a year to put together.

I must admit I thought that, once the police had a firm date from the Council for taking on their enforcement role, they might delay their withdrawal. Apparently not. The police have stuck to their decision and made their traffic wardens redundant on May 31st, although have said they will still prosecute people causing an actual obstruction.

Some people have initially welcomed the loss of wardens. My feeling is that they’ll change their minds as the realities unfold. Already the disabled are finding people parking in their bays. Shops are starting to worry that cars parking all day in the two-hour parking bays meant for shoppers will start to affect trade. One or two narrow streets have already come close to being blocked to large vehicles by cars parked on both sides. In the remaining ten months or so before the Council gets its act together, the streets of Aberystwyth look like being an interesting experiment in anarchism.

Bodlondeb

Around 90 people packed into St Anne’s Church Hall in Penparcau, Aberystwyth tonight for a meeting on the possible closure of the much valued Council-run Bodlondeb residential home. This has arisen because the current building doesn’t meet CSIW (Care Standards Inspectorate for Wales) standards.

The meeting, called by Ceredigion Against the Cuts, heard there were three possible options being considered:

1/ Upgrade the current building at a cost of around £300,000

2/ Close the place and move the residents to Hafan y Waun, the Methodist Homes Association accommodation at Waun Fawr, by leasing a wing from them under the control of the local authority.

3/ As above but transfer residents and staff to the Methodists Homes Association.

Council Officers who attended to present the issues, together with the Cabinet Member, were on the ropes for much of the meeting and it was made very clear that Option 1 was the overwhelming preference if the meeting.

The next key date in the process will be when the feasibility study is presented to the Council’s Cabinet on 12th July in Aberaeron. Concerned residents were encouraged to lobby their councillor with their views leading up to that meeting.

The photos show Elin Jones, Assembly Member, holding forth and Hag Harris, Council Cabinet Member for Social Services, explaining the Council's position.

New Park & Ride for Aberystwyth agreed

A major new Park & Ride car park for the north-east side of Aberystwyth was today agreed by Ceredigion’s Development Control Committee.

The site will be a 200-space extension of the current hospital & university car park in Clarach Road, near the top of Penglais Hill, which opened earlier this year. This has proved to be well-used by hospital staff, many of whom have stopped using the shuttle and now use the walk from the car park to work as part of their fitness regime. The new extension will be opened up for use by the general public

The new car park, which will be funded by the Welsh government, is intended for long-stay commuter parking to relieve traffic congestion on the northern approach to town and to reduce the pressure on street parking which makes the lives of town residents very difficult and has led many people to move out of town altogether. It's viewed as a key part of the traffic management programme for Aberystwyth.

The plan is that the car park will operate from 6.30am–8pm with a bus service into town to support it.  The site will be barrier-controlled with no access after 8pm and car park lights switched off to avoid nuisance to local residents. The parking area will be shaped to preserve the wood close by.

The next priority for the Council’s Highways Department is now to find a site for a similar Park & Ride to the south of the town.