Falmouth’s most picturesque car park is to get an environmentally friendly resurface after all after an abrupt U-turn by the town council.

At a full meeting of Falmouth Town Council on Monday night, councillors voted to overturn a previous committee decision to tarmac the lower Pendennis car park at a greater cost.

The decision was unusual in that it was reversed within six months of the decision being made by the Grounds, Facilities and Environmental Action Committee.

Chair councillor Debra Clegg had proposed, and Alan Rowe had seconded, that it accept the lower, more environmentally friendly tender to resurface the lower car park at Pendennis Point. This was rejected by other members of the committee.

According to Cllr Jude Robinson this meant the default would be to tarmac, at greater cost. “Some councillors felt that the resurfacing should not be done at all, which was why they voted against but with unintended consequences,” she said in a post on Facebook.

“Taking this to full council was unusual because we had to suspend our Standing Orders, which say that a decision cannot be reconsidered within six months. This we did. The alternative would have been to take it to Finance & General Purposes, to find the extra money for tarmac.

“Various options were put forward at the meeting. Fill in the holes with stones; close the car park; don't commit to having a car park as we might want to discourage cars and encourage bicycles in future.”

She said she didn’t quite understand the reluctance to make the car park surface safer. “It's in a bit of a state and many local people use it. The money will come from our Community Infrastructure Levy pot, so from developments, not taxpayers.

“Glad that common sense prevailed, and that FTC is going ahead with the enviro paving approved.”

A spokesperson for Falmouth Town council told the Packet: “In response to reported safety risks and the further deterioration of the existing lower car parking area at Pendennis Headland, Falmouth Town Council will be advertising for the procurement of a permanent maintenance free, environmentally friendly, recycled polyethylene surfacing solution to ensure a free draining and stable base for the lower car park.”