ALMOST a quarter of Bude’s residents have signed a digital petition against the proposed replacement building and new car park at the town’s pitch and putt — but the town council says the issue has been blown out of proportion.

At a meeting of the full council last Thursday, Cllr Frank Partridge said that though there had been a proposal to Cornwall Council, it was merely to save time and effort discussing the matter, not necessarily to go ahead with any plans.

He said: “The full council has never discussed this car park, it was only a planning committee thought, a suggestion, amongst many other suggestions of what the area could be used for, rather than spending hours of our time discussing it.

“Some of the other suggestions were an area for archery, five-a-side football, bowls, and there were others.

“We are simply asking Cornwall Council so that then we know for future reference what the limits are in the area.”

But residents were not happy that the notion of a car park on the Downs had even crossed any councillors’ minds, whether it was those on one particular committee or not, and they urged the town council to retract the proposal from Cornwall Council.

Town mayor Cllr Lea Deely said: “We cannot withdraw an application once it has gone to Cornwall Council, but when it comes back we can look at it and amend the items we want to, which is when these views will be taken into account.

“I can assure you, your objections have been noted, and once this matter is actually brought to full council you will know about it.”

One resident said: “It doesn’t sound like councillors are doing this for the people of Bude at all. There is no one that wants another car park in Bude.”

Another added: “I can’t understand why you would even consider adding another car park to an area where there’s already one next to it.”

For the full report, and a round-up of the area news and sport, see this week’s edition of the Post.