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Parking charges in Cardiff could be set to rocket under plans announced by the city’s council.

The city is consulting on a plan to raise the maximum charge from £5.20 for 10 hours to £10 for up to 12 hours.

Parking fees in all areas, for all time periods, would see significant changes.

The proposal would also bring in a significantly more complex tariff system, with eight different bands.

Evening parking charges would also be introduced in several areas with fees of £2 between 6pm and 8pm

Anger

Some of the changes are set to be controversial.

Chris Thomas, 22, uses parking in Cathays Park, where maximum fees will rise from £5.20 for 10 hours to £8 for 10 hours and £10 for anywhere from 10 to 12 hours.

He said: "For those of us on the lower wage band, we don’t get a parking permit which means that the people earning the least already pay the most for parking.

"A rise in parking prices means I’m basically working just to cover the cost of being here."

Student Josie Lattore, 24, said: “Comparatively, prices round here are pretty cheap, especially when you look at other city centres, but I think that’s a good thing and something that should be protected.”

Complicated enough? The eight-band proposed tariff

We've tried to make sense of it

Tariff A

College Road, King Edward VII Avenue, Museum Avenue

Charges from 8am to 8pm, Monday to Saturday, and 10am to 5pm on Sunday

Fees from £1.70 for one hour to £10 for up to 12 hours, and £2 between 6pm and 8pm

Tariff B

Callaghan Square, City Hall Road, Gorsedd Gardens Road, King Edward VII Avenue, Museum Avenue, Museum Place, Park Grove, Park Place, Park Street, St Andrews Crescent, West Canal Wharf, Windsor Lane, Windsor Place and Wood Street service lane

Charges from 8am to 8pm, Monday to Saturday, and 10am to 5pm on Sunday

Fees from £1.70 for one hour to £5 for a maximum stay of five hours, and

£2 between 6pm and 8pm

Tariff C

The “outer city centre” zone includes sections of Adamsdown Square, Davis Street, East Grove, Fitzhamon Embankment, Howard Gardens, Longcross Street, Moira Place, Moira Terrace, Newport Road Lane, Pendyris Street, Senghennydd Road, Taff Embankment, Taffs Mead Embankment, The Parade, The Walk, West Grove, West Luton Road and Windsor Road

Charges from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday, and 10am to 5pm on Sunday

Fees from £1.70 for one hour to £8 for 10 hours. Free after 6pm

Tariff D

Areas of East Grove, Fitzalan Road, Guildford Crescent, Howard Place, Morgan Street and Senghennydd Road

Charges from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday, and 10am to 5pm on Sunday

Fees from £1.70 for one hour to £5 for a maximum stay of five hours. Free after 6pm

Tariff E

Areas of Bute Street, Canal Parade, Dumballs Road and Trade Street.

Charges from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday, and 10am to 5pm on Sunday

Free for the first hour. Fees from £1.70 for two hours to £7.50 for 10 hours. Free after 6pm

Tariff F

Hemingway Road, Schooner Way

Charges from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday, and 10am to 5pm on Sunday

Fees from £1.70 for one hour to £5.20 for 10 hours. Free after 6pm

Tariff G

Bute Crescent, Bute Street, James Street, Mount Stuart Square, West Bute Street

Charges from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday, and 10am to 5pm on Sunday

Free for the first hour. Fees from £1.70 for two hours to £4.20 for a maximum stay of five hours. Free after 6pm

Tariff H

Norwegian church

Charges from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday, and 10am to 5pm on Sunday

Fees from £1 for one hour to £3 for a maximum stay of three hours. Free after 6pm

What changes?

Currently there is a two-band system in place, for short or long stay parking with a maximum charge of £5.20 for up to 10 hours.

If the proposals get the go-ahead, eight different bands of charges will be introduced.

Currently, charges of £1.70 for up to an hour, £2.80 for up to two hours, £3.60 for up to five hours and £5,20 for up to 10 hours, apply from 8am to 6pm between Monday to Saturday and 10am to 5pm on Sunday.

But under the new plans, six hours will cost £6 with charges rising by 50p each hour until a 10 hour stay when the charge becomes £10. That fee remains the same for up to 12 hours parking.

Cardiff council have begun consulting on the plans.

It must work for business

Barry Esterhuizen, Director of EST Accountants, who have an office in Pontyclun, Rhondda Cynon Taf, said: “We have numerous clients based in the city centre, and parking is a constant source of pain.

“The Saint David 2 development has made things easier in recent years, but with regards to council operated bays; it’s a bit of a battle. Finding change, ensuring meetings don’t overrun and overly-keen parking enforcement officers all make the experience a tad stressful.

“We’ve looked at city centre offices, and are always put off due to the parking issue. I appreciate there are offices with allocated parking, but when it comes to clients and contacts visiting; it is a huge drawback.

“There is a hefty political emphasis on helping Welsh businesses and the wider economy grow; but I don’t see how increasing parking charges for people who want to work, meet and do business with people in the city centre will help this effort. It seems as if the emphasis is being placed on council funds as opposed to what’s best for business and the city’s economy.”

We hope they think long and hard

Iestyn Davies, from the Federation of Small Businesses said: “Increases in costs such as parking does have an impact, particularly on businesses who rely on occasional trade.

“All it will do is drive more traffic to the commercial St David’s style parking areas.

“We would certainly hope they would think long and hard on this,” he added.

Mr Davies said he hoped the intention was enhance the consumer experience and not “inadvertently drive people away from the parts of the city which have the most to add to the local economy”.

“There’s a case to be made for moving more retail traffic away from cars but without providing a real alternative through the development of mass transit, including park and ride, is not only going to affect retailers but also businesses and their workers,” he said.