A campervan has provoked outrage among residents after it parked at Y Glyn, near Llyn Padarn in Llanberis, occupying four spaces with an awning, BBQ and fire pit. The incident occurred last weekend at the barrierless car park, which is known as the 'Lagoons' and where overnight parking is banned.
Locals complain of litter and noise
Residents reported litter and noise from the site. One said the area was 'un-policed' and warned of rising friction between campers and the community. Another described Y Glyn as 'a nightmare' since the Arosfan facility was established, adding: 'Everyone does as they want - there is no order.'
New parking restrictions on access road
Illegal long-term parking has also been a problem on the access road, which in summer is often lined with motorhomes. New Cyngor Gwynedd Traffic Regulation Orders (TRO) came into effect on July 27 to stop this. While welcomed, a local resident said the car parks remain a free-for-all.
He visited Y Glyn at the weekend and found all eight spaces at the Arosfan facility, which charges £16.50 per night for a maximum 48-hour stay, were occupied. Dozens more campervans were in the adjacent car park, defying site rules. 'To be fair, the majority were occupying just a single space, but two weren’t,' he said.
'Of these two, one had foreign registered plates. The other was UK registered and this took up four spaces: it had an awning slung to another car as well as a roof tent, BBQ and deck chairs, depriving three others of space. It was hugely disrespectful.'
Enforcement challenges
As parking payments can be made online, it is unclear how many paid. The site is off the highway and can be patrolled by traffic wardens, but there are no local byelaws covering it, so fines cannot be enforced by park wardens. There are no cameras at the car parks.
Daytime parking is limited to eight hours, costing £6, between 6am and 8pm. Overnighters must use the Arosfan, which has toilets, fresh water and grey water disposal. The daytime toilet block closes at night. 'No one is going to pack up their holiday and leave in the middle of the night looking for toilets,' a resident said. 'Not all campervans have a toilet on board, so you can imagine where they go during the night.'
With school holidays, more people are heading there. 'When I wandered through the site last Friday evening, I counted eight disposable BBQs at the side of the lake. Most had been lit on rocks but with wildfires raging across the region, it was a pretty stupid thing to do.'
Council response
Cyngor Gwynedd said monitoring and enforcement falls under its Civil Parking Enforcement Scheme, undertaken by a 'small but dedicated team of parking officers.' Arrangements at Y Glyn have been reviewed and changed over recent years. Further changes to on-street parking will be introduced shortly.
A spokesperson said: 'In terms of motorhomes and campervans, unless there are specific restrictions in place related to them, they have the same rights to park as other vehicles. The parking arrangements and restrictions in place are reviewed in response to the experience and expectations of all users. Where there is high demand for parking spaces, a fair and reasonable compromise is sought. Cyngor Gwynedd encourages motorists to park responsibly, to be respectful of others and to comply with parking rules, so that everybody can enjoy what Gwynedd has to offer safely.'
