A PARISH council says it is gathering evidence in order to fight to keep a car park available and affordable for residents.

Cawsand is one of 25 places in Cornwall where the local authority plans to transfer management of car parks it owns to Corserv Solutions.

Local people are concerned about the prospect of losing spaces earmarked for resident permit holders and the community bus, and worried that the rates will increase.

But there’s also some uncertainty over the ownership of the car park itself. Maker with Rame Parish Council says that it has talked to the Edgcumbe family, who say they have the original deeds to the land, and that it was transferred to the parish council in 1950.

The gift was made so that the community could make use of the open space, says vice chair of the council Jon Kidd.

“A lot of people remember it being used as a playing field. It was transferred to us on the 8th December 1950. We’ve got some of the history but not all of it. We’re collating our evidence, in case we have to make an appeal.”

At some point after the 1950s but before the disbanding of Cornwall’s district councils to create the local unitary authority, the land, or part of it, may have been transferred to Caradon District Council. But there has not yet been clarity on this: Cornwall Council’s legal team had been due to get back to Maker with Rame by January 31.

For a very long time now, says the parish council, it’s been managing part of the car park used as boat storage and receiving rent from the boat owners.

Results of a public consultation over the transfer of the car parks are due to be published on February 9.