Carmarthenshire County Council’s Cabinet has agreed changes to off street parking charges at its meeting on Monday 7 September 2026, to include one hour of free parking per visit across all 67 Council owned car parks across the county.
Following an initial one hour period of free parking, town centre car parks in Llanelli and Carmarthen will incur a fee of £2 for 2 hours, £3 for 3 hours or £4 for all day. Car parks in Ammanford and the county’s rural towns will incur a £2 charge after the first hour for up to 3 hours, or £2.50 for all day. These fees will remain frozen for the next three years.
As part of the strategy, discounted tickets for two days or more will support those regularly using town centre car parks, while free Town Council parking days will be removed.
The agreed strategy has been developed following a review of off street car parking provision which considered usage patterns, occupancy, financial performance, free parking and enforcement. The review identified a significant need for short stay parking to support easier access to town centres, local businesses and essential services, whilst encouraging more frequent visits and supporting economic activity across Carmarthenshire’s communities.
Carmarthenshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport, Waste and Infrastructure Services, Cllr Edward Thomas, said:
“The revised off street parking strategy will provide a simple, fair and accessible system for parking across Carmarthenshire, which includes an hour of free parking per visit.
By providing an hour of free parking, we are making it easier for residents and visitors to access our town centres and rural communities, whether they are shopping locally, visiting businesses, attending appointments, accessing public services or supporting local attractions.
This approach recognises the important role that our town centres play in the local economy and will help encourage increased footfall, support local businesses and create vibrant, accessible places for people to live, work and visit. Alongside the County Council’s ongoing investment in active travel and sustainable transport links, these changes will provide people with greater choice in how they access services, employment, retail and leisure destinations across the county.”
The strategy aligns with national, regional and local policy, including the Wales Transport Strategy and the National Transport Delivery Plan, the South West Wales Regional Transport Plan (RTP), and Carmarthenshire’s Local Development Plan (LDP) and Corporate Strategy.
