Street parking in Llanfyllin will be extended after receiving the backing of county councillors.

Powys County Council's Shire Committee met on Wednesday and supported Llanfyllin Town Council's request to see parking waiting times increased from 40 minutes to one hour.

They also agreed to reduce the parking restriction time from between 8am and 6pm to between 10am and 4pm.

Councillor Peter Lewis spoke in support of Llanfyllin Town Council request saying: “Every Town is different and Llanfyllin has had to change over last 10 years to survive by changing the parking restrictions time believe will be a big benefit to Llanfyllin."

Cllr Lewis also told the meeting that he had spoken with Councillor Liam Fitzpatrick, the portfolio holder for Highways, who gave his full support ahead of the vote.

Councillor Aled Davies said by supporting the motion there would be no loss of revenue to Powys County Council as the main car park in Llanfyllin is mainly owned by the town council who do not charge for parking.

Speaking after the meeting Cllr Lewis said: “This is fantastic news for the High Street businesses of Llanfyllin to encourage more footfall.

"The shopping experience on the High Street has changed significantly in the smaller towns competing against the larger stores in nearby larger towns.”

The good news comes after Cllr Lewis' previous proposal to introduce two-hours free parking were rejected by Powys County Council's Cabinet in January when he said individuals towns should decide their own parking policies.

He said at last month's Llanfyllin Town Council meeting that the changes to parking would encourage parents to stay in the town and shop after dropping their children off from school and also allow people to park from 3pm through to 11am the following day, which would be attractive to tourists staying in the town.

There now will be a public consultation period on the Llanfyllin parking review for comments from the public before the new restrictions can be implemented.