Visitors to popular Pembrokeshire beauty spots will pay more for parking next year, as annual season tickets rise by 50%.
The cost of a single-site car park season ticket at Pembrokeshire Coast National Park will increase from £50 to £75 in 2027. Members rejected a proposed doubling of the price to £100 amid cost-of-living concerns.
Decision at September meeting
At their September 23 meeting, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park members examined season ticket pricing ahead of the 2027 season. Officials had proposed an increase to £100 for certain tickets.
The park charges at 14 car parks and has provided two season ticket alternatives since 2017, in addition to standard pay-as-you-go tariffs. The two tickets cover either a single location or all sites and cost £50 and £140 respectively. Officials recommended increasing the single-site price to £100 to address the current near threefold "price anomaly".
Sales figures and revenue impact
In 2025, 207 all-sites season tickets were purchased. Single-site ticket sales by location were: Saundersfoot 323, Poppit Sands 213, Little Haven 172, OYP St Davids 129, Freshwater East 119, Amroth 112, Solva 39, Newport Sands 30, Newgale 28, West Angle 22, Penally 22, Broadhaven 14, Manorbier eight, and Nolton Haven eight.
A report presented to members stated the £50 single-site ticket cost the equivalent of 12.5 weeks of average pay-and-display parking, while the charging season extended beyond 35 weeks. Parking revenue goes into the park's general fund to help pay for other facilities and services.
Debate and compromise
Cllr Simon Hancock called for discounts for people on Universal Credit, but was informed similar schemes had virtually "zero uptake".
Cllr Huw Murphy stated that the £50 rate generated nearly £62,000 annually, which would rise to £123,000 should the price increase to £100. "I wouldn't be supporting such an increase, especially now when fuel is nearly £2-a-litre in a cost-of-living crisis."
Cllr Murphy put forward a compromise figure of £70, stating: "I'm struggling with a doubling of the fee; we are proposing to go £47 above the rate of inflation here today."
Cllr Vanessa Thomas suggested a £75 rate after Cllr Di Clements formally moved the officers' recommendation of £100. Cllr Michael Williams seconded the amendment, objecting to the "100 per cent increase", and remarked: "Everyone is being put under pressure, we should respect that."
Cllr Thomas's amendment was carried by eight votes to four, pushing individual season ticket prices up to £75 from next year.
Standard pay-as-you-go charges range from free parking for up to 30 minutes to £8 for a full day. Both season ticket prices last increased in 2023, climbing from £25 to £50 for a single site and from £70 to £140 for all sites.
The report noted that both ticket types permitted unlimited use by one motor vehicle at a time, with the all-sites ticket adding only the benefit of parking across different locations.
