The Vale of Glamorgan Council's Cabinet has signed off on proposals to close Court Road multi-storey car park, although a date for its closure is yet to be set.
Traders in Barry Town Centre say the potential closure of Court Road Car Park could have a huge impact on the shopping area.
On Thursday, Vale of Glamorgan Council Cabinet members agreed to its proposed closure, stating that the car park costs £80,000 a year to operate. The Cabinet also agreed to introduce pay-to-park at several popular seaside locations in the County.
Sharon Thomas has run Beloved Boutique, an independent ladies' clothing shop which has been on Holton Road for three years. She believes the Council is actively working against traders, calling for Councillors to engage with business owners to improve the shopping area before it is too late.
"Before opening my shop, I ran a group of other independent clothing shops one of which was in Bridgend. When the Council were going to make changes that impacted businesses, Brigend Council would put leaflets through our doors to all the shops, pre-warning us and giving us a chance to share our views or objections," said Sharon.
"In Barry, it feels like everything is done in secret, under the carpet as if the Council are trying to hide it and get it done before anyone else finds out. Business has been difficult on Holton Road, we saw the biggest drop in footfall when Wilkinson's and Barclays Bank went, I would say business on average is down about 30% over the last three months."
Sharon believes the Vale of Glamorgan Council and Welsh Government need to do all they can to engage with and support local businesses, believing that the local Council are actively working against traders for the detriment of the shopping area.
"When I talk to customers, many of them comment that the Council don't want Holton Road to survive. I didn't believe them when I first opened, but now I think it's true. It feels like they're always finding a barrier to put up in front of the businesses. What new businesses will want to come to Holton Road now? We don't see any of Councillors, they don't come and visit, ask us what they could do to help us or share their plans for the future of Barry."
"They're going to start to take away the car parks, so who's going to want to invest? We've got large units like Wilkinsons sitting there empty, who's going to want to take that on, who's going to take on the re-developed Burtons sites or all those old banks, just sitting there empty? They're going to see the amount of footfall, the lack of car parks and think that's not the town for us."
The Court Road Multi-Storey Car Park first opened in 1973, with the Council saying its usage has steadily declined, with rising maintenance costs and its underuse raising concerns regarding its long-term viability.
A report received by the Council's Cabinet on the proposals stated that "data indicates that the demand for parking in this location does not justify its maintenance costs." It states that annual costs to maintain the facility total £80,000 per annum, with its main users being Holton Road Primary School staff, parents during school drop-off and pick-up times, and some town centre employees.
It's not just retail businesses that are concerned about the changes. Specsavers on Holton Road, an NHS provider say the changes could prevent people from discovering serious conditions.
Jamie Pullen, Director of Specsavers Barry told Bro Radio "As an NHS provider, one of our key roles is to provide emergency primary care services and to keep people out of doctors surgeries and out of hospital. On a weekly basis, we can help people prevent potentially sight-threatening conditions."
"Charging people for parking, when a potentially life-changing appointment can take up to an hour and a half may discourage people from seeking the help that they need"
Cllr Lis Burnett, Leader of the Vale of Glamorgan Council, said: “While we welcome people to the Vale and understand why they want to enjoy the fantastic attractions on offer here, there are maintenance and resort management costs associated with visitors which the Council must meet.
“Asking this group to contribute to the upkeep of our resorts is only fair as that responsibility should not lie solely with residents.
“We have made on-street parking at resorts free before 10am to try and accommodate those living locally and restricted on-street parking at resort areas to a maximum of four hours to ensure different people can access these spaces throughout the day.
“Season ticket options are also available for regular users of car parks at our coastal resorts, as they are for country parks.
“Hopefully these changes can help tackle congestion at our resorts by encouraging the use of our car parks.
“I have spoken many times of the extremely challenging financial position we and other Local Authorities find ourselves in. Quite simply, we must find new ways to generate income to balance the books.
“The Vale of Glamorgan is one of the lowest funded and lowest spending councils in Wales, with one of the lowest rates of Council Tax, so if we want to provide anything beyond essential services, we have to impose charges like this.”
Having been approved by Cabinet, proposals will now be considered by the Environment and Regeneration Scrutiny Committee on Tuesday 14th January.
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