Could private car parks fix Eryri's traffic chaos?

Recent bank holidays have seen roads in Eryri blocked up with visitor cars

Landowners opening up their private car parks to visitors at Wales' largest national park has been suggested as a solution to traffic chaos in the area.

Parking disruption is a regular occurrence at popular spots in Eryri, also known as Snowdonia, with some people previously having their cars towed away.

While the national park has added more buses to try and alleviate the problem, local councillor John Pughe Roberts is calling for more to be done, proposing a temporary plan to enable landowners to open private car parks.

Mr Roberts called it "a win win for everybody", but the national park authority said it did not fall within current planning policies and would need national consideration.

Mr Roberts, who is also a farmer, said the parking chaos brought a lot of negativity and his solution would benefit both visitors and locals.

"Every year, we have problems with parking, and we have even seen some people having their cars taken away," he said.

"I don't think it's a good look for the national ark really.

"Why not ask farmers in the hot spots to allow cars to park in their fields?"

Mr Roberts proposed a temporary, five-year plan, which would allow landowners to charge a fee for visitors who wished to park on their land.

He suggested the income be shared between the landowner and the park, for local path maintenance, targeting the areas where the problem is worst.

He said the plan could encourage people to use local facilities too, such as cafes, instead of rushing back to their car.

John Pughe Roberts says the parking chaos is "not a good look" for the national park

"We can welcome people. People would rather pay £10 to know their cars are safe," said Mr Roberts.

"It would be a win win for everybody, and would provide money for the rural economy."

About 40 vehicles were towed on the A5 in the Llyn Ogwen area on Good Friday in 2023

Parking problems have long been an issue for the park authority, with complaints of emergency vehicles being blocked due to people parking on the side of the road in some areas.

While the national park is responsible for multiple parking facilities, the number of visitors means those places are not always sufficient.

Gwynedd Watkin, county officer at the Welsh Farmers' Union in Gwynedd, thinks Mr Roberts's idea worthy of further discussion, adding: "We have aired this idea for many years, to tell the truth, but we were led to believe that the planning department would not tolerate the requests."

Gwynedd Watkin welcomed the proposal but said previous attempts had been knocked back

Angela Jones, head of partnerships at the park authority, welcomed the opportunity to open the conversation, but said wider consideration would be needed.

She said it would be considered as part of the organisation's local development review next year, but added it was a national matter which fell under Welsh government planning legislation.

Ms Jones said the current local development plan allowed people to use or open car parks for up to 28 days each year.

She urged visitors to prepare their travel plans in advance and said existing measures to alleviate traffic had been successful, with a 70% increase in users of the Yr Wyddfa bus service over the past three years.

The Welsh government said: "Temporary use of land for car parking is possible in most locations up to 28 days in any year.

"If the National Park Authority want to consider a five year temporary use this should be done through the planning application process."