PROTEST is mounting in a village over a proposed change in management for the Cornwall Council-run car park.

Cawsand is one of 25 locations where the local authority is set to lease the car park to a private contractor such as Cormac, with day to day management and enforcement likely to be carried out by a third party company.

Vice chair of the Maker with Rame Parish Council Jon Kidd said that there were a host of negative impacts for the community, should the change go ahead.

He’s written to Cornwall Council setting out the local concerns, and says that the response he’s had has actually confirmed some of these fears.

Residents who hold permits for on-street parking bays in Cawsand can currently park in a certain number of spaces in the car park under an agreement with Cornwall Council. The Council has told Cllr Kidd that the existing permits will no longer be valid after the transfer takes place.

“There are nowhere near enough residents permit spaces,” said Cllr Kidd, “The streets are narrow and there are double yellow lines everywhere. That’s why George Trubody fought for people to be able to use the car park. A lot of these people are elderly and it means they have easier access.”

Meanwhile the voluntary Rame Community Bus service has been left with its future uncertain. The bus currently parks free of charge in the car park but has been given no assurance that this arrangement will continue.

In a statement, Cornwall Council said that “any unique arrangements in place with specific car parks will form part of further discussions before any decision is made”.

Boat owners could also be affected by the change. Members of the Cawsand Bay Sailing Club have for many years rented spaces from Maker with Rame Parish Council in an area of the car park set aside as a boat park.

Secretary and treasurer of the club Alastair Guthrie said: “The Sailing Club strongly objects to the proposal simply because it is unclear whether the boat park is reserved or not. Any kind of Automatic Number Plate Recognition installed will mean a significant increase in charges, and there’s uncertainty about where they will put the car park barriers.”

Cornwall Council has told Maker with Rame Parish Council that it will “check to ensure that the boat area is not included in the transfer” and that it will make the contractor aware that access is needed.

Alastair said: “You could argue that these 25 car parks will represent a cost saving to Cornwall Council but there’s a conspicuous lack of transparency, there are no figures provided.

“Don’t tell me that the council are going to give up the income. This has to be stopped – it’s takeover by the backdoor.”

A question remains over the whole ownership of the land itself on which the car park lies. Councillor Kidd said: “It’s understood that the land was donated by the Edgcumbe Estate to the parish council for the benefit of the community. We would therefore be interested to understand the process by which Cornwall Council believe they have acquired Cawsand Car Park and the terms and covenants under which this important ‘community asset’ is operated.”

The local authority has said its property team is carefully analysing title deeds and maps as part of the lease process.

Councillor Kidd pointed out that some years ago the parish council agreed to take on the running of the public toilets in Kingsand and Cawsand from Cornwall Council, a service that costs the local council some £25,000 each year to provide, while Cornwall Council has continued to take around £30,000 in income from the car park.

He said: “This isn’t political, it’s about the community. Whilst we appreciate that Cawsand Car Park is also used by visitors to the area - and provides a valuable source of income for Cornwall Council, any proposed changes should respect the needs of the local community too.

“There had been a commitment to consult with parish councils prior to this moment but this hasn’t happened,” he continued.

“We’re asked to vote on the principle of taking the car parks out of Cornwall Council management, but there isn’t any detail. And it’s unclear whether there will be any chance for further conversations once the public consultation ends.”

The timing of the consultation over the Christmas and New Year holiday period had meant that the parish council “had not been able to follow the process it would have liked” – which would have been to schedule an extraordinary meeting to discuss the issue and formulate a response. The council’s first opportunity to discuss would be at its next meeting in January – after the consultation has ended.

In a statement to the Cornish Times, Cornwall Council said: “The current car park consultation has been advertised in the same way as all previous car park consultations. It began on December 12 and, by the time it closes on January 9, will have run for four weeks – a week longer than previous car park consultations due to the Christmas period.

“We will carefully consider responses to the consultation when making any decision about the future of the car parks. Any unique arrangements in place with specific car parks will form part of further discussions before any decision is made.

“The consultation remains open until Thursday, January 9 – residents can have their say by visiting the consultation online or email [email protected]”

Meanwhile Seaton’s large car park is also set to be removed from the Cornwall Council order. Deviock Parish Council has shared its concerns with Cornwall Council:

“Private parking contractors are often inflexible, these “one size fits all” solutions are inappropriate in a rural environment.

“Outsourcing raises the prospect of evening and winter charging which penalises local residents and encourages road side parking when seasonal yellow line restrictions are off, increasing the risk of accidents. A private company is less likely to listen to local opinion on this matter than Cornwall Council was when it rescinded these measures a couple of years ago.

“Provision needs to be made to allow contractors to maintain amenities on a daily basis, and for members of the public to make a short stop to use the toilets, for example, without being penalised.

“The mobile signal in Seaton varies from poor to non-existent depending on your provider, so a reasonable period would need to be allowed for people to make payment or leave (say 30 minutes).

“Pole mounted cameras create privacy issues for neighbours – particularly given the proximity of children’s play areas.”