Swansea Council - Motorhome Parking/Stopover

[CShel]

Recently on the CAMpRA FB group page, I saw discussions about MH parking in Swansea and emailed the councillor as his name and contact details were provided by a member for others to write to.

Today, I received a response!
I suggest a local member should follow up on this asap.

Below is my email, below that is his response.

To: Cllr.Rob.Stewart@swansea.gov.uk Sent 11/11/23

Dear Mr Stewart

Motorhome Tourism is growing fast and there’s over 400,000 of us touring the UK now ‘tasting the local cuisine and culture’ as we go, as we do when abroad.
The problem is that from 1 November an awful lot of camping sites close up (for 6 months, till Easter), and that means we cannot reach the Service Points that we need every 3-4 days to empty our onboard storage tanks. We only need one in a town like Cardiff, and it would be a easy money (£3-5/time, self-service) for any Car-Wash business, fuel station or toilet block. And all they need do is adapt existing plumbing and install a disposal unit. Hundreds a week could call in.
We also require safe, off road parking to stopover close to the centre to visit those hard hit shops, bars, restaurants and takeaways, that we’d support.
With one leaving as another arrives, there’s no need for height barriers on a well placed car park that could accommodate 10 vans a day. And at £10/night including services, there’d be plenty more income for maintaining the area.
Please seek advice from CAMpRA.org.uk as they are well versed in talking with councils nationwide.

I hope to explore your area soon, coming from Norfolk, and one night stopovers are the perfect solution. As camping sites have soggy, dark, remote spaces far from civilisation they are most unappealing now.

Please rethink your motorhome tourism policy and support the development of a responsible infrastructure in your town.

Best regards

Charles Shelbourne
Burgh Castle, Great Yarmouth


Response: 4/12/23

Dear Mr Shelbourne

Many thanks for your email.

We are aware of the growing demand for motorhome facilities across Wales – something which has always been popular in our coastal location. We are keen to support opportunities for motorhome vacations in Swansea and are continuing to look for sites that could safely accommodate this type of activity.

It appears that most Local Authorities in Wales have little or no information about motorhome parking on their websites, with restrictions in place for those that do all ‘daytime only’ parking e.g. no camping / cooking / disposing of waste is allowed.

In Swansea we offer information on motorhome parking at www.swansea.gov.uk/motorhomeparking and we also direct visitors to local campsites, which also offer all the required facilities.

Swansea Council also operates the Marina Tourer Park, which offers 5 dedicated overnight parking bays throughout the summer for between £25 - £30 per night.

The price includes pitch, toilets, showers, water, waste disposal and Wi-Fi. For an additional fee, visitors can request electricity and access to onsite laundry facilities, with a reduction in bays to 3 during the winter when boat parking is more active. This facility offers the option to use the showers, toilets, waste disposal or refill with fresh water at the cost of £10 per hour when the bays are full. More details can be found at www.swanseamarina.org.uk/tourerpark

We will continue to explore options for introducing additional motorhome facilities, such as electric hook-ups and waste disposal at key locations across the destination.

We will continue to review the situation, with colleagues across the Council and local businesses and thank you for your interest in visiting Swansea Bay.

Further details about the offer and things to do in the area can be found here www.visitswanseabay.com.

Yours sincerely

Y Cynghorydd/Councillor Rob Stewart

Arweinydd/Leader
* Cllr.rob.stewart@swansea.gov.uk
* cyng.rob.stew

My thoughts are that further talks should be opened, face to face, and that the emphasis be placed on off-road parking in the city or P&R, and that many more than 3-5 places be installed, and that a lower charge for 24 hours be set, with extras available as an extra.