The Disability Advice Project (DAP) has carried out a survey of parking for disabled people in Cwmbran Centre and made a number of recommendations.
Tony Crowhurst, access officer at DAP, said: “Several members of DAP have stated that on Saturdays and other peak times it is an increasing problem to find parking spaces for themselves or the disabled person they care for. Making environments inclusive for all is an important agenda in Wales. We hope our report will make a positive contribution towards making Cwmbran Centre more inclusive and will result in much-needed improvements to parking for disabled people.”
Their report highlights
- No parking bays for disabled people have a clearly marked area to the rear, to enable access to boot space.
- There are no enlarged spaces suitable for larger vehicles.
- Parking bays for disabled people are not clearly signposted.
- Electric car charging points have replaced parking spaces previously set aside for Blue Badge holders. Please note- There are still the same number of Blue Badge spaces in this car park. The previous spaces have been moved along the same row they were previously located due to the new charging points.
The report says the site’s owners should make improvements and follow guidance from the British Standards and government.
DAP’s report has been sent to Torfaen County Borough Council and Cwmbran Centre owner, M&G Real Estate. It recommends:
- At least 21 additional spaces be marked for Blue Badge holders.
- The orientation of some bays be turned 90 degrees to provide spaces where safe access to the car boot is possible.
- Signage at the car park entrances to guide disabled people to suitable parking bays.
- Signage in all areas to show where parking bays for disabled people are located.
A Cwmbran Centre spokesperson said: “Our priority is to ensure Cwmbran Centre is accessible for all visitors and we have worked hard over the years to ensure our facilities meet the needs of all our users. We take this incredibly seriously and are continually reviewing opportunities to improve accessibility throughout our centre.
“All the centre’s car parks are British Car Parking Association accredited and all have met the criteria set out by Disabled Motoring UK for achieving Disabled Parking Accreditation Awards of Excellence within the past 12 months.
“Cwmbran Centre performs above the current British Car Parking Association’s best practice guidelines and we regularly employ third-party auditors to review existing provision, ensuring we continue meeting – or exceeding – these guidelines.
“We believe that we are doing as much as we can to ensure that all shoppers arriving by car are able to access the centre easily. Nonetheless, we would welcome the chance to engage with groups such as Disability Advice Project Wales to share our best practices and initiatives .”
The Disability Advice Project is a charity based in Cwmbran. It provides a welfare rights service to support disabled people, their families and carers. DAP also carry out audits on behalf of organisations to help them understand the access issues that might prevent disabled people from using a facility.
