Cosmeston Lakes car park charges rise warning for parkrun

Car parking charges at Cosmeston Lakes county park have reportedly doubled leaving locals fuming.

Now the council has explained where the income generated from the park will go.

Vale councillor and Conservative party member Rhys Thomas says charges have now doubled at Cosmeston Lakes park.

While £1 used to get two hours of parking, now it only gets one, while £2 gets two hours.

Additionally, the hours parking charges apply have been extended – so now the tariff begins at 9am, whereas it used to be 10am.

Parking tariffs at Cosmeston are on the up (Image: Supplied)

‘Hope this doesn’t dampen enthusiasm’

It’s led popular event parkrun, held every Saturday at 9am at Cosmeston, to issue a warning to visitors saying if they want to come along, it’s going to cost that bit more now.

On their Facebook page, Cosmeston Lakes parkrun said: “Hello parkrunners and volunteers.

“If you drive to our parkrun on Saturday mornings, please be aware that new parking arrangements are now in effect - which means charges now apply from 9am.

“We hope this won’t unduly dampen your enthusiasm for taking part in Cosmeston Lakes parkrun in the coming months.”

A regular scene at Cosmeston Lakes just got more expensive (Image: Cllr Anthony Ernest)

What do the council say about the increase and where they money goes?

The Vale Council say season tickets are available for less than a £1 a week, and all income is reinvested in the park.

A council spokesperson said: “Visitors can park from as little as £1 and a full day costs only £5.

“Season tickets for regular users are available for £30 for six months and £50, less than a pound a week, for the whole year.

“All of the income generated by the parking charges is reinvested into improving and maintaining our country parks.”

Vale of Glamorgan Council enforcement vehicle (Image: Supplied)

‘A kick in the teeth’

Cllr Thomas says his constituents can’t understand why these parking charges are being increased, because they see Cosmeston as somewhere they can go for a walk, take the dogs out in a pleasant environment and not have to worry about shelling out too much money for it.

Cllr Thomas believes it’s about revenue raising, but says it’s not clear how the council intend to spend any new money raised.

“These increased parking charges are a real kick in the teeth for residents who have already had their council tax hiked by 4.9 per cent,” said Cllr Thomas.

“The Vale Council are taking more money from people but failing to improve the quality of their services – it’s unacceptable.

“Cosmeston Park is a fantastic location, and I want to see these charges reversed so people can enjoy Cosmeston without worrying about any financial impact.”

Current prices for Cosmeston Lakes car park

Prices can be seen here can be seen here at, https://www.valeofglamorgan.gov.uk/en/enjoying/Coast-and-Countryside/Parking-at-Country-Parks.aspx.