CORNWALL Council say there are ‘currently no plans’ for work to be carried out in Clease Car Park in Camelford, despite calls from the local council to do so.

A post in Facebook group ‘lovecamelford’ by the pastor of Souls Harbour church, David Flanders, bemoaning the parking problems in the car park, which is owned by Cornwall Council, caused some locals to complain.

Camelford town mayor, Cllr Claire Hewlett said: “Clease is owned by Cornwall Council so we are very limited in what we can do. As a town council we’ve formally written to them and said it’s in an unacceptable state of repair, verging on dangerous because of the potholes.

“We have asked them to take action to bring it up to an acceptable standard, starting with the resurfacing and obviously relining, because at the moment you can’t see the lines, they’re long gone.

“People are parking with the best intentions, but the lines are gone. We are very limited because we don’t own it, it’s up to Cornwall Council. The advice for residents who are experiencing these problems is to contact Cornwall Council and let them know what’s going on.”

The town council introduced car parking charges at Churchfield Car Park early this year and when asked whether that would mean more people parking at Clease instead, Cllr Hewlett said: “With Churchfield, if you are a resident of Camelford parish, you can get an annual permit to park there for just £25 and that gives you the right to park in the blue zones in Churchfield.

“It might be that more people are parking there (Clease) but all they need to do is come and get a permit from the town council offices in the library.

“The other thing to bare in mind is that Camelford Hall is successfully getting more lettings which is great and is exactly what they should be doing. But obviously people drive there and need to park for Camelford Hall as well.”

Cornwall Councillor for Camelford, Cllr Rob Rotchell, says that discussions with Cornwall Council over Camelford Town Council taking over the running of the car park have been ongoing for some time, but both parties have yet to come to an agreement.

Cllr Rotchell said: “We were offered Clease Car Park about three years ago and so we had a lot of discussions with Cornwall Council. But the sticking point was the resurfacing of the car park, which is in pretty poor condition.

“We were offered £10,000 towards the cost of the resurfacing but the bill would have been £25,000, which would have meant the town council would have to have found £15,000. We’re a small town council and don’t have £15,000 to spend, so that effectively drew the discussions to a conclusion at that time.

“More recently, I brought it up with Edwina Hannaford, who is the portfolio holder for devolution at Cornwall Council, and said it’s in a poor state of repair.

“The town council are ready to take on the running of it but obviously it would need to be in good order, i.e. resurfaced and relined before we take it over, and that’s where it is.

“Edwina is ready to discuss it with her team and work out whether they have the money to do that, but the town council wouldn’t take it on in its current state.

“I’m currently waiting to hear from Edwina, I think there’s a willingness from both sides to come up with a conclusion but the sticking for both sides is the funding.

“But if we can get it done, we can then take steps to get to grips with the issues we face such as car parking.”

Cllr Rotchell, like Cllr Hewlett, emphasised the importance of permits and that although there are now charges to park in Churchfield, says there is plenty of free time to park.

He said: “Clease Car Park has always been busy for as long as I can remember. It’s always quite full and the activities at Camelford Hall contribute to that.

“But at Churchfield the first two hours are free at anytime and is free from 5pm to 9am and all day on Sundays. And the rest of the time it’s 50p an hour, which means it’s got to be one of the cheapest in Cornwall.

“Most people who visit park there and don’t have to pay as they do what they need to do within the two hours.

“Those who wish to park there on a long-term basis can get a permit from the library and a lot of people have done that.”

In response, Cornwall Council say that the car park is fine at present and that charges won’t be introduced anytime soon.

They said: “Clease Car Park has always been well used as it services Camelford Hall and Souls Harbour Church. There are no plans by Cornwall Council to introduce charging at Clease Car Park. We do routinely inspect our car parks and any defects are put right if they represent a risk to health and safety. At the moment, there are no maintenance works or plans to reline the car park scheduled.”