By Rashleigh MacFarlane
Would you like to pay £2 to use a car park which is currently free?
And do you think spaces in public car parks should be taken up by overnight motorhome campers?
The latest Cornwall Council “public consultation” is open until Wednesday 4th February.
Some councillors have questioned the wisdom of appearing to ask for public approval when unpopular decisions have probably already been made. The income from car parking will have been factored into the council’s revenue projections for its forthcoming budget.
Some residents who are not able to park outside their homes, and who use a council car park which is currently free, could soon find themselves having to pay.
Car parks in some of the tiny access points to the popular Camel Trail, which have always been free, will also see the introduction of charges.
The use of public car parks by motorhome campers has long been a contentious issue. In 2023 the council itself waged war against overnight parking at the Towan Headland, Newquay, saying the van dwellers impacted “the immediate area (with) increased waste, unsociable behaviour and “wild toileting.”
The operators of approved campsites, who have to provide facilities such as toilets, showers and conduct public safety risk assessments, are likely to object to unfair competition.
To many local residents, motorhomes are a nuisance – a symbol of Cornwall’s historic dependence on low-rent tourism which clogs the roads and does little to benefit the economy. Any motorist who has come face-to-face with a motorhome, apparently unable to reverse on a narrow country lane, could be forgiven for disapproving of any new council policy designed to attract even more of these vehicles to Cornwall.
The council’s latest foray into the complexities of car parking policy would see motorhomes welcomed in some areas and banned in others.
Overnight sleeping is currently banned in all council car parks except the Crescent, Bude. The council slaps a £70 fine on anyone caught breaking the rules.
But now County Hall says it would welcome “fully self-contained motorhomes to park overnight in an additional ten car parks.”
Every year some of Cornwall’s car parks are invaded by travellers whose caravans and motorhomes occupy spaces until the council goes through a legal process to evict them.
Now the council is proposing to revise its off-street parking orders. The changes would:
Vary the parking charges in all Cornwall Council chargeable car parks to increase charges either in line with inflation or specific amendments to support traffic management
Removal of the 2-3 hour tariff within all Long Stay Car Parks
Conversion of Tolcarne Road, Newquay to a long stay car park
An increase to the price of ‘Reserved’ Parking Permits to bring the product in line with current market value
Conversion of Trengrouse Way, Helston to a long stay car park
Conversion of Cattle Market, Liskeard into a Short Stay Car Park
Removal of Broadsyard, Downderry from the Order
Introduction of a motorhome prohibition to Commercial Road, Hayle
Reduction of the JustPark Wallet minimum spend to £35.00
Renaming of Tintagel Visitors Centre to Bossiney Road, Tintagel
Inclusion of Motorhome charges in the following car parks:
Link Road, Padstow
Watergate Bay
Trenwith, St Ives
Wheal Leisure, Perranporth
Main, Fowey
Marazion Station
Gyllyngvase coach park, Falmouth
Seaton Bridge
Cattle Market Launceston
Victoria Square, Bodmin
Introduction of the following car parks to the parking order:
Ponsadane, Penzance
Gas Hill, Truro
St Andrews Pond, Par
The clue is in the name – they are CAR parks, not lorry parks or trailer parks. A height barrier effectively prevents abuse.
If the council wasn’t so vain it wouldn’t need to rip local people off all the time! All those millions spent on holes in the ground would have been more than enough to fund some free parking!