Solutions to solve parking problems in Tenby were floated around the town council chamber at their meeting this week.

Clr. Mike Evans told his colleagues at Tuesday night's meeting of the council that he was compiling his own survey of parking issues in the town in light of the strict regulations that Pembrokeshire County Council's enforcement scheme had brought in.

As a result, he had come to the conclusion that there was room for a bit of 'tweaking' of regulations in some areas.

He also suggested that the site of the former Cottage Hospital in Trafalgar Road could be leased by the town council on a short-term basis to provide further car parking spaces for local residents.

"The site is still lying vacant and has been declared surplus by the county council, so I wonder if this council would show any stomach to take the site on a short-term lease to provide more parking spaces at the site," said Clr. Evans.

"After the hospital closed, for the first couple of years the site was used as an overflow car park. I think we could utilise it ourselves, either month by month or season by season, and it would benefit the town's folk," he continued.

Clr. Mrs. Trisha Putwain felt that if any parking spaces were to be provided, they should be for all residents, including those who live within the town walls and not just the ones near the facility.

She also suggested that tradesmen in the town who had been experiencing problems with the parking restrictions, could be allowed to buy an annual permit that would allow them to use a resident's bay where they were working.

They could also be issued with some kind of badge or pin that would state where they were carrying out work.

Clr. Evans said that the county council's director of transportation and environment, Mr. Ian Westley, had met with members of the town's Chamber of Trade and Tourism earlier that day to discuss some of the issues of the scheme.

"What has been proposed is some form of ID for a tradesman that they can carry with their contact number and something on their vehicle so that they can state the premises where they are working and be contacted by an enforcement officer.

"These are just ideas that are floating around at the moment, but there are a few glitches in the scheme which are making it difficult to work in the town, so it would be sensible if something can be done," he added.