Plans for new park and ride at Severn Tunnel Junction resubmitted

Plans for a new car park to serve rail users at Severn Tunnel Junction train station have been lodged with Monmouthshire council – six months after the local authority incorrectly approved the scheme.

The proposed park and ride facility is part of the Cardiff Capital Region City Deal’s Metro Plus scheme, a £50 million programme to support the implementation of the South Wales Metro.

Plans for the 172-space car park at Severn Tunnel Junction were approved in October – but two months later planning permission was revoked as it had been granted under delegated powers.

Planners blamed “human error” for the mistake as the application was required to be determined by councillors on the planning committee, as it was submitted by the council itself, and objections to the plan had been lodged.

A new application has now been lodged by the council proposing a 172-space car park on vacant land to the south of the station, which would include 26 electric vehicle charging spaces.

The site was previously used for railway sidings and more recently as a compound during the 2017 works to Station Road overbridge and electrification of the South Wales main line.

The car park is planned to cater for an expected rise in rail users due to a proposed increase in train services at the station.

Currently, there is a 114-space pay and display car park and an overflow with 50 spaces, but it is claimed these are often full.

A transport assessment says station users are known to park free of charge on residential streets in Rogiet, causing ‘frustration’ to residents.

“With existing demand already exceeding capacity, the existing parking capacity issue can only exacerbate with time as patronage increases unless additional car parking capacity is provided,” the transport assessment says.

“Failure to provide additional car parking capacity will leave rail users little option but to seek on street parking in the surrounding residential areas.”

The project also proposes an extension to an existing footbridge, which would be built after the car park, improving pedestrian access to the station.

In the interim, pedestrian access will be via a new footpath link to the station and highway improvements.

Vehicles will still access the station using an existing road bridge and side road from Station Road.

Additional works are also planned to improve pedestrian and disabled parking provision in the existing Severn Tunnel Junction ‘northern car park’.

The plans will be assessed in the coming months.