Cornwall Council has named 25 free cars parks which are likely to start charging all year round under new management, writes Local Democracy Reporter Lee Trewhela. 

The car parks are either currently free all year or during the winter months.

The council’s economic growth scrutiny committee will decide whether to endorse the disposal of the car parks at a meeting next Tuesday (December 10). In March, the council’s Conservative cabinet endorsed a proposal for Cornwall Council to decentralise a number of its environment, heritage and other land-based assets, ten per cent of which are car parks.  It hopes to save £2m by the end of 2026 by doing this.

Following a trial at Towan Headland (Little Fistral) in Newquay, a new model of managing some of the local authority’s car parks has now been considered with a further trial at New Polzeath in place since July.

That car park site is leased to the council’s arm’s length company, Corserv Solutions Ltd, and managed by a third party using Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR). Winter charging has been introduced at the car park with prices set at “very similar rates” to Cornwall Council car parks.

Car parks now being considered to follow the model are classed as not being in strategic locations – for example, sites which help traffic management or would act as a location for a public transport hub.

A report to next week’s committee states: “Essentially this involves the transfer of a car park site by means of lease to a council-owned company, which would then manage the land; paying a rental at least sustaining the income to the council from the site and removing the liability of the council to maintain and manage the asset. The benefits of this approach are that a single company is managing the maintenance, improvements and car park operations.”

Sixteen sites that are currently free in the winter are being considered for all year round charging and 12 sites that are currently free all year are also being considered for 12-month charging.

The council has named 25 car parks as part of the suggested change. They are:

  • Rosewarne & Extension, Camborne
  • Readymoney, Fowey
  • Helford Village
  • Castle Street, Launceston
  • Pannier Market, Launceston
  • Walkhouse, Launceston
  • St Peter’s Hill, Newlyn
  • Albany Road, Newquay
  • Belmont, Newquay
  • Dane Road, Newquay
  • Tregunnel, Newquay
  • Watergate Bay, near Newquay
  • Trebarwith Strand, near Tintagel
  • Porthcothan Bay, near Padstow
  • Commercial Road, Penryn
  • Kittos Field, Porthleven
  • Belle Vue West, Saltash
  • Seaton Park, Seaton
  • Reppers Coombe, St Agnes
  • Clifden Road, St Austell
  • Park Avenue, St Ives
  • Porthmeor, St Ives
  • Tintagel Visitors Centre
  • Antony Road, Torpoint
  • Cawsand, near Torpoint

If endorsed, the parking orders would then go through a round of public engagement, including notices in local newspapers and signs in the car parks. The results of his consultation would be carefully considered before any final decision is made to amend the parking orders and proceed with the transfer of the car parks.

Councillors raised concerns at an economic growth scrutiny meeting in September that decentralisation could lead to car parks being managed by “unpleasant” enforcement companies.

The council currently owns 231 car parks, 48 per cent of which are classed as town centre facilities, a further 25 per cent coastal and rural car parks make up just eight per cent. Cornwall Council receives around £300,000 a year from car park enforcement income, while paid income from parking is roughly around £18m a year.