Parking Questions & Answers

Llangattock Community Council (LCC) and Powys County Council Highways Department (PCC Highways) have compiled this Q+A in response to some common questions about parking in Llangattock. It was one of the most significant issues raised in the 2023 Place Plan Consultation and residents in the centre of the village were consulted about whether to introduce a residents-only parking scheme in January 2024.

Parking Generally

Q: Are there parking problems in Llangattock?
A: During the Place Plan Consultation, residents reported a shortage of spaces in the Llangattock Community Council-owned car park opposite the church, leading to congestion on Church View, particularly on evenings and weekends. In the 2024 survey, 46% of residents living close by said they found it difficult to park their vehicles some or all of the time, rising to 60% at weekends. Overspill traffic often ends up on Park Drive, a short walk away.
Another 'hot spot' evidenced in the Place Plan and the 2024 survey was Clos Ciliau. There is a car park to benefit council tenants in Clos Ciliau, which can get congested, anecdotally by walkers and users of the school.
Plas Derwen residents and Beechwood Road residents complained in the Place Plan Consultation of pressures from the school run, and Beaufort Avenue residents complained of pavement parking.  None of these areas supported a residents parking scheme which would have restricted residents as well as visitors.
Visitors also park close to the canal at bridges 114, 115 and 116, and residents of Park Drive complain about vehicles parking opposite their homes, making it difficult to turn into their drives, especially when the recreation ground is busy. However, this may be partly because the road is narrow.
Overall in the survey, however the proportion of respondents saying they find it difficult to park was only 22% (12% of the total homes surveyed)

On-Street Parking

(Information from Powys County Council Highways and Dyfed Powys Police):
Q: Who can park on the roads in Llangattock?

A: Nobody has the right to park on the public highway, it is for the passage and repassage of vehicles.  However, if a parking space is available on a public road, even directly outside your house, anyone can park in it. We appreciate this can be frustrating, especially if spaces are hard to come by on your street. Providing there are no restrictions (yellow lines, disabled parking, or yellow marks on the pavements) and the parked vehicle is not causing an obstruction to other highway users, anyone can park on any street in Llangattock.  To be on the public highway legally, the vehicle must be taxed and have an MOT.  You can check the tax and MOT status of any vehicle by putting the registration number into the DVLA website at  https://www.gov.uk/get-vehicle-information-from-dvla

Q: What do I do if I see a vehicle parking on a pavement, across my driveway so I can’t get out or one causing an obstruction?

A: If the vehicle is causing an obstruction or blocking access to an emergency vehicle, parked dangerously, blocking your drive so you can’t get out, you can report it as antisocial behaviour to the police using this form:

https://www.dyfed-powys.police.uk/ro/report/asb/asb-v3/report-antisocial-behaviour/

Q: What do I do if a vehicle is parked on yellow lines, on a dropped curb or in a disabled bay without a badge?

A: You can report it to Powys County Council using this form:

https://en.powys.gov.uk/article/4659/Report-a-parking-concern

Q: If a vehicle is parked opposite my house and I find it difficult to turn into my driveway, what can I do about it?

A: If the vehicle is not blocking your driveway or causing an obstruction as above, the owner is entitled to park it there. Neither the Police nor either Council has any power to move it. It may be worth talking to your local representatives to see whether the road can be widened, but this work would have to compete with other highways projects in Powys, so it may not happen for a long time, if ever.

Q: What if the vehicle is blocking the view from my house?

A: If the vehicle is not blocking your driveway or causing an obstruction as above, the owner is entitled to park it there. There is no right in law to a view and neither the Police nor either Council has any power to move it.

Q: What if a vehicle is abandoned?

A: An abandoned vehicle is one which has not been moved or attended to for a long time. There may be visible damage to suggest a crash or signs the vehicle has been stolen, such as:

  • significant damage
  • it's run-down or unroadworthy, including being rusted
  • missing or suspicious number plates
  • broken windows, flat tyres
  • has a lot of rubbish inside it
  • broken or loose ignition
  • broken steering column

Abandoned vehicles can cause a nuisance by obstructing roads, traffic and pedestrians. Seeing a damaged or slowly rusting car can also be an eyesore in your community, so, understandably, you might want it removed. If you know the vehicle owner, our first advice would be politely asking them to move it. After all, they may not be aware they’re causing a problem. However, do not take the law into your own hands by intervening, such as making physical threats or attempting to move the vehicle yourself. You may make the situation worse and even risk committing an offence yourself. If you find one, please report an abandoned vehicle using this form:

https://www.dyfed-powys.police.uk/ro/report/asb/asb-v3/report-antisocial-behaviour/

Q: How often do traffic wardens (Civil Enforcement Officers) patrol the existing restrictions?

A: There are currently only two CEOs for South Powys, so the amount of time they could spend in Llangattock would be limited and ad hoc. LCC enquired whether more time could be dedicated to Llangattock and was told this would require another CEO to be recruited at LCC’s expense. This figure would equate to £8,325 startup costs in the first year + £300 a day + mileage. The setup costs alone would add £13.88 to our ‘bit’ of the Council tax for a band D household with ongoing costs adding around another £2-3 per year.

Q: There are too many yellow lines already. Can’t we remove some to create more on-street parking spaces for visitors away from the village centre?

A: LCC has had informal discussions with PCC Highways about whether some visitor spaces could be created outside peak periods on the road from the Vine Tree to the bend before Plas Cottages. Changing the legal status of a road requires a legal order and PCC won't give it any priority unless LCC pays the legal fees amounting to more than £4,500.  The 2024 survey which showed that only 12% of homes in the centre of the village think there is a problem does not support spending this money.

Q: What about people parking campervans in the layby by the bridge?

A: As long as the vehicle is taxed and insured, they can park there. In order to stop this, LCC would have to pay for a TRO at the costs outlined above.

Q: What do I do if someone is parking on my driveway or my private parking space?

A: If someone parks their vehicle on your driveway or marked private parking space without your permission, this is trespassing. This is a civil dispute and not something we can help you with. If it happens repeatedly with the same person / vehicle you might want to seek advice from Citizens Advice or a solicitor. However, we would always recommend having a polite word with the driver first, as there may have been a simple misunderstanding.

Q: What can be done about the school run and parents dropping their children off by car in Clos Cilau, Tan Dderwen and Beechwood Road?

A: We are aware of this pressure.  LCC has already written to the school and governors asking them what can be done to increase the number of children arriving at school on foot. During the Place Plan process, it was suggested that a drop-off point/school parking area could be created adjacent to the school playing ground accessible via Park Drive. This will need to be investigated and consideration given to the increase in vehicle movements on Park Drive. However, the inconvenience of the school run needs to be balanced with the benefits to Llangattock of having a viable primary school.

Q: Can’t you just impose residents-only parking restrictions?

A: Powys County Council and Llangattock County Council consulted on parking restrictions in January 2024, but only 12% of residents in the centre of the village supported the scheme.

The full PCC Highways policy on residents' parking can be found by going to this page:

https://en.powys.gov.uk/article/4646/Apply--Renew-a-residents-parking-permit?ccp=true#cookie-consent-prompt

It would prevent visitors parking on Llangattock Roads but would also limit the number of parking permits available to residents, which was the main reason people opposed it.

Introducing a residents parking scheme would also be costly. PCC Highways would pay for the ‘lines and signs’ but LCC would have to pay legal fees to give them force.  It would cost between £4,500 and £5,000 or about 16p per week for a band D property or 32p per week for the highest tax band.

Off-Street Parking

Q: Where is the public car park in Llangattock?

A: Llangattock has one public car park opposite St Catwg’s Church, owned and maintained by Llangattock Community Council. It is currently free to use and has 18 marked spaces plus one blue badge space, but it is heavily over-subscribed. It is used by visitors to Llangattock, the Church congregation and residents of nearby homes, some of whom do not have off-street parking spaces. Residents of other parts of Llangattock use it while visiting the village centre. The nearest roads are narrow and have double-yellow lines on them.

Q: Can I park in the car park accessed from Clos Ciliau?

A: This is owned and maintained by Powys County Council Housing Department for the benefit of Council tenants in Clos Ciliau. It is not a public car park. Neither Powys Highways nor LCC have any authority over it.  You can contact PCC Housing by email at housing@powys.gov.uk

Off-street parking in the LCC-owned car park opposite St Catwg’s Church.

Q: Could a restricted parking scheme be imposed at the LCC-owned car park opposite St Catwg’s Church?

A: Llangattock Community Council has so far decided not to consider any restrictions to the car park it runs and maintains opposite the church if it is just going to shift the problem onto unrestricted neighbouring roads.  As the community rejected on-street regulation in 2024, this became more likely.

Instead, it will look at alternatives including:

• Improving public transport

• Making it easier for residents to walk and cycle

• Vehicle and driveway sharing schemes

• Increasing the number of publicly available spaces if opportunities arise and budgets allow

• Working to mitigate pressures from the school-run

Q: If LCC decided to restrict parking there in future how much would it cost?

A: Implementing a restricted parking scheme in the LCC car park would likely cost considerably more than an on-street scheme, because such schemes can only be enforced by an organisation registered with the DVLA and the Approved Operator Scheme (LCC is neither). This would likely mean bringing in an outside company or automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) system, which would have to be paid for from permits to park there. In addition, we would need to pay for signage, etc. Some of this cost could also be offset by introducing charges for short-duration parking.

Q: How could restrictions in the car park be enforced?

A: Probably by an ANPR system (as above), which would match the number plates of permit holders with vehicles in the car park.

Q: Would there be a cost to the council tax to implement a parking scheme in the car park?

A: We believe this solution would be cost-neutral to the council because permits, fines and pay-and-display tickets would fund it.

Off-street parking elsewhere?

Q: Can’t we build more car parks?

A: Both LCC and PCC have declared a climate emergency, and Brecon Beacons National Park’s Management Plan commits them to reducing the impact of vehicle emissions. It is not easy to see how building new car parks for residents will achieve that goal; residents would likely keep or continue the trend of owning more vehicles as more spaces become available. New residents-only car parks would also have to be paid for either by PCC Highways or by borrowing funded by LCC’s ‘bit’ of the Council tax, by grants or by parking permits or pay and display tickets.

Q: Would Visitors use a pay-and-display parking space?

A: It depends. If there are unrestricted, free, on-street parking spaces nearby, then they are likely to use those rather than pay; ask people living on unrestricted roads close to Crickhowell Town Centre. In this regard, implementing a residents-only scheme in Llangattock would be a significant factor in pushing visitors out of the centre of the community and into paid-for parking spaces if provided elsewhere.

Q: Why can’t PCC Highways pay for a new car park?

A: Like local authorities everywhere, PCC must make tough decisions over public services. Like LCC, the County Council has also declared a climate emergency, so PCC is not committing to building new car parks. Instead, they emphasise encouraging active travel, getting people to walk or cycle rather than using a car.  PCC Housing is, however, looking at the possibility of creating more spaces for tenants in Plas Dderwen.

Q: What about LCC? Why can’t it borrow to pay for a new car park and fund that out of our ‘bit’ of the Council Tax?

A: LCC has also pledged to consider the environment in everything it does and has been trying to improve active travel by applying for grants to replace the kissing gates. LCC has also written to PCC about improving public transport after the Place Plan showed that was what people wanted. Building a new car park could easily run to more than £100,000 – more than double LCC’s current annual ‘take’ from the Council Tax. While the Place Plan survey responses illustrate growing frustration over car parking, they do not specifically address the question of funding. Such a hefty charge on our ‘bit’ of the Council tax would, we believe, require further approval of the Llangattock electorate if a detailed scheme was approved.

Q: Can we get some grants to pay for car parking? 

A: Possibly. We believe the best chance of getting any grant funding would come if the application were made as part of a balanced overall package agreed upon by the community.

Q: What would a balanced approach to the parking problems look like?

A: A package could include:

  • Improvements to active travel
  • Green transport improvements as above
  • Driveway sharing
  • A residents' parking scheme to push visitors outwards
  • Visitor parking between Llangattock and Crickhowell to reduce pressure from walkers leaving their vehicles in the village centre
  • A limited number of additional residents-only spaces close to existing parking hot spots as part of small edge-of-settlement affordable housing developments.
  • A high proportion of new parking spaces would need to be for electric vehicles (or existing spaces converted if more appropriate).

LCC has written to PCC with requests from the Place Plan about improving public transport and has received funding for a feasibility study into an electric shuttle bus to and from Crickhowell. We would also be interested in exploring driveway-sharing schemes where people with empty spaces could rent them out to people who need off-street parking. These might be pretty valuable if an on-street scheme is implemented.

We cannot 100% guarantee to deliver these. Each would require funding and community support which, based on the recent survey, may not be forthcoming.

A friendly, vibrant, forward-thinking village in the South East corner of the county of Powys. We are surrounded by the stunning scenery of the Brecon Beacons National Park. 
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