ONCE again car park charges in Camelford’s Churchfield Car Park has reared its ugly head, with some heated discussions at last week’s town council meeting.

Five members of the public attended the meeting to hear councillors discuss the recommendations of the car park working group for the car park.

These recommended actions included the implementation of charges from April next year and the purchase of one ticket machine.

The recommendations also included to update the parking by-law with Cornwall Council legal department; to review signage and replace if necessary; and to re-do lines. They also recommended contracting Cornwall Council to enforce the car park by-law.

Cllr Peter Guesford started the discussion, and said: “I’m at a complete loss as to why we’re going through all of this at all.”

He referred to the council’s Churchfield Car Park survey, carried out recently. It asked people’s views as to how the car park should be funded. The highest response was for the option that the car park should be funded by residents through their council tax.

“Why are we going through all of this when residents want the car park to be funded through council tax?” he said. “It’s there in black and white. The residents don’t want it pay and display. They want it via council tax. We are here to represent what they want. Why are we continuing with all this? Whoever read this survey I’m afraid has read it wrong.”

Cllr Michael Coombes said: “It’s keeping spaces free for people to go to the town and go to the Post Office.”

However, Cllr Guesford listed the car park working group’s recommendations, adding: “It clearly states from the survey that residents don’t want it.”

Cllr Shirley Goodman replied: “But it’s being abused. It’s people from out of Camelford that are abusing it.”

She said that people are leaving their cars in the car park all day, but not using the town. Earlier that day, she counted three spaces, but added: “Where were they all? There wasn’t anybody walking around.”

Town clerk, Esther Greig, explained that the survey results showed 43.58% of residents wanted the car park to be paid for via the council tax, and by putting the results of the other options together, the figure totalled more than 50%.

Cllr Guesford said: “I think that’s a corrupt method of doing it quite frankly.”

The problem was highlighted by Cllr Sue Elford, who said: “It’s not a car park, it’s a garage. They’re parking there day and night without moving them.”

Cllr Andy Shaw said he understood what Cllr Guesford was saying, but when the car park was purchased in 2005, car park charges were introduced to cover the maintenance and other charges. In 2007 it was voted that the car park charges be lifted to enable shopkeepers in the town to benefit.

“Ten years down the line, there’s no banks left in town, the Post Office has amalgamated with another shop, several other shops are becoming vacant. The ten-year experiment of no charging, fiscally it hasn’t benefitted the town one little bit.”

Mayor, Cllr Rob Rotchell said: “The whole point of the survey said we’ve got a problem, after endless complaints that people couldn’t park. Every day people are driving round the car park and going out because they can’t park. That car park is a shoppers’ car park, not a residents’ car park. We’re not banning everybody, but there will be a contribution to the costs. This proposal is about managing the car park so there are places to park.”

Councillors said that many use the car park for car sharing — two or three cars will park up and the occupants will go off to another location in one car, using the car park spaces that should be for shoppers in the town.

But Cllr Claire Hewlett said the idea of having to use Cornwall Council to police the car park at £30 an hour ‘depresses’ her.

Cllr Rotchell said: “It’s a problem today, it was a problem in the summer, it’s going to get worse. Do we just leave it? The car park is over capacity most of the time.”

Cllr Emma Grigg said she had spoken to a few businesses in the town and they would be happy to refund the price of a car parking ticket if a purchase was made in the shop. She also noted that she lives in the High Street and she has to pay to park her vehicle in someone else’s space.

Cllr Rotchell said if people want to come to Camelford to shop, it would be free parking for two hours. There would also be a cut off point for charges in the evening. For people who use the car park to go to work or if residents wish to use the spaces, they would be required to purchase a permit.

“It’s not the council’s responsibility to provide private parking. Our responsibility is to provide a car park for people who come in and use the town. If we go down that route, there will be no room for people to use the car park. We bought the car park as a shoppers’ car park.”

Cllr Guesford said: “Once you start charging, people will stop coming,” but Cllr Rotchell said it would be free for two hours. “For most people who come into town, you can get it done in two hours.”

Cllr Alan Burgis suggested the council could look into buying a field, but the viability was questioned, as it would have to be bought, developed, surfaced and marketed.

Cllr Guesford proposed that the car park remains as it currently is with no charges. Cllr Burgis seconded this. Two councillors voted in favour, nine against and the proposal was defeated.

The first proposal, to adopt the recommendations of the car park working group, was voted on. Nine voted in favour and two against, and the proposal was carried.

The proposals include two hours free parking, 50p thereafter to a maximum daily charge of £3.50. Chargeable periods will be 9am to 5pm Monday to Saturday.

A permit system will be reviewed after three months with a view to capacity. There would be a maximum of 50 permits for the blue zone only, non-reserved. One permit per business or property on Fore Street or Market Place, issued on a first come first served basis. The permits would be charged at £10 per month, or £100 per annum, from April 1 to March 31.