A financially strapped council has allocated £870,000 for the construction of a car park containing a mere 37 spaces, resulting in a cost of £23,500 per parking space.
In an email disclosed by WalesOnline, a Monmouthshire County Council official informed Monmouth MP David TC Davies that the newly established pay-and-display car park at Wyebridge Street in Monmouth incurred nearly £1 million in expenses.
Despite the local enthusiasm for addressing the insufficient parking in the town, the disclosed costs have raised concerns. Initially projected to be approximately £520,000, the final cost was criticised by Mr. Davies as "extraordinarily high."
The car park, long-awaited for two decades, is set to open in the spring near the Queen’s Head Inn at Wyebridge.
“This is an important piece of infrastructure for the town allowing more shoppers to take advantage of what Monmouth has to offer,” stated Mr Davies. "But like many others I am surprised by the length of time it has taken and I must question the cost, which seems extraordinarily high for what should be a fairly straightforward construction project.
"While I appreciate there needs to be excavation work, ground levelling, and drainage pipework etc even a cost of half a million pounds seems over the odds. But to then soar to £870,000 in just over six months is astonishing. That equates to £23,515 per parking space and is only an estimated cost too so the final total could be even more.”
In November, the Local Democracy Reporting Service conveyed that jobs were anticipated to be reduced at the council due to a £1.4m shortfall. A council report released at that time states: “Given the size of the budget gap, it is likely that there will be redundancies within the council’s workforce in the lead-up to and during the financial year commencing April 1, 2024, notwithstanding every effort being made to avoid them.”
According to the Checkatrade website, the typical expense for a parking bay in a multi-storey car park is approximately £11,000. A representative from Monmouthshire council explained, "The cost of the car park has risen due to unforeseen ground conditions and escalating inflation costs, and it was initially budgeted within the highways' overall budget. The facility is intended to serve as a central car park for Monmouth, offering crucial support to local businesses and the community.
"The initial estimate was based on budget allocation and not updated work costs. The difficult ground conditions, additional drainage requirements, and the unprecedented inflationary cost experienced throughout the construction industry have significantly increased the scheme's cost. Most of the work required to develop the new car park was undertaken by the council's operations department. The net cost of construction work paid to external parties was £572,240."
