A poll of residents is to be held in a bid to resolve the thorny issue of parking on the village green at the Lizard.

More than 60 people attended a Landewednack parish meeting held at the Reading Room last week to determine whether such a poll should go ahead.

A total of 16 voted in favour, meaning the poll - only the second to be held in a Kerrier parish for more than 30 years - will now take place.

Plans to stop parking on a section of the green aroused controversy when a major regeneration project proposed for the village was first mooted. The scheme, which involved preventing parking on the small green and creating a new car park at the entrance to the village, was eventually abandoned.

Last April, Landewednack parish councillors voted to stop cars parking on the small green for a temporary period of up to one year while repair works were carried out.

Fencing was erected around the green but was promptly removed by local businesspeople who feared the loss of parking would have a devastating impact on their trade.

Amid continuing controversy, one member of the parish council suggested holding a parish poll in a bid to establish public feeling on the issue once and for all.

Colin Chapman, clerk to Landewednack parish council, said the law stated that a poll would be held if ten electors, or one-third of those present at the parish meeting, whichever was less, voted in favour.

Residents would now be formally asked whether they wished parking to continue on the small green.

"It was a well attended meeting," said Mr Chapman. "There are strong views on this issue. The vote was not unanimous but sufficient electors have requested a poll and a poll will be held. It is completely out of the parish council's hands now."

Responsibility for holding the poll rests with Kerrier district council.

Kerrier's returning officer, Nigel Richards, said parish polls were "quite rare".

"We have only had one other in a Kerrier parish in the last 33 years," he said. "A parish poll is a bit like a local referendum and in this case all of the electors of the Landwednack parish will be able to vote at the Reading Room, the Lizard."

To take part in the poll the parishioners will be asked to answer "yes" or "no" to the question "Do you wish to allow parking to continue on the smaller green?"

The poll is likely to be held on Thursday, February 1.