THE future management of Solva car park was due to be discussed at a meeting of Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority today (Wednesday, February 4).

For the past two years, Solva Community Council has managed the facility on behalf of the National Park. It employs two attendants who sell tickets, collect and bank the money, maintain the picnic site and keep the area clean and tidy.

The financial arrangement sees a 50:50 split on surplus income. In 2014, this resulted in £25,000 for each organisation. The community council used its share to fund a number of local projects, including the Memorial Hall, a children’s playground and the football club.

Since the reduction by Welsh Government in the National Park Grant in 2014/15, many in the Solva community have been concerned about future management arrangements. A number of letters and emails have sent to the National Park asking that the current arrangements are continued and in particular that pay and display is not introduced.

The National Park will discuss the following options:

• Retain the present arrangements with Solva Community Council with a loss of approximately £25,000 a year compared to the site being managed by the Park.

• Revise the arrangements with the community council based on an agreed management fee of for instance £8,000 or 10% of gross whichever is the larger with the costs of the attendants, and picnic site maintenance as at present paid from the parking income.

• Take the full management of the car park back under the Park’s control and recruit our own staff requiring extra management resources to recruit, train and supervise the site.

• Introduce pay and display machines, something which the local community would not favour but which would reduce costs even further and maximise the Park’s net income by an estimated £40,000 a year.