‘WHY can’t you build us a multi-storey car park?’ That was a suggestion from one Bude resident to Cornwall Council representatives at a meeting in the town on October 9, writes Amy Dennis.

On the agenda for Bude Community Network Panel in the Parkhouse Centre was parking enforcement, and the meeting heard from Cornwall Council’s civil parking enforcement officer and a representative from the parking operations team.

Up for discussion was the recent town parking review for Bude, upcoming works to introduce yellow lines, prices of Cornwall Council car parks and how they are operated, how parking enforcement operates in Bude and whether facilities could be provided throughout Cornwall to people wanting to sleep overnight in car parks in campervans.

Lucille Opie, a Bude resident, said: “Bude’s going to have another 400 or 500 houses. Why can’t you build us a multi-storey car park? You have got to think for the future.”

Craig Taylor, parking manager at Cornwall Council, said the idea was ‘not off the table’ and that it could be considered. He added: “How other people might view a multi-storey in Bude, I don’t know.”

Liberal Democrat Cornwall Councillor for Poundstock, Nicky Chopak, said people who work in Bude, but do not live in Bude, resort to parking in residential streets.

She said: “Could there be something almost like a workers’ car park or an allocation so you could buy a space or a rover ticket for the workers in Bude?”

Mr Taylor replied: “Bude does lack any sort of reserve parking at the moment.”

Liberal Democrat Cornwall Councillor for Bude, Peter La Broy, raised concerns about increase in the pricing of season tickets and that they apply to ‘just one car park’. He said: “That’s not really serving the residents of the area well who pay their council tax.”

Mr Taylor said to change the daily pay and display prices in the car parks, Cornwall Council has to go through a full consultation, whereas private operators ‘can reduce prices overnight’.

He added: “Town councils and parish councils rely heavily on income from the car parks as well.”

Mr Taylor explained the recent town parking review. Cornwall Council had identified Bude as one of a few towns with the biggest parking problems, and the review asked people for their opinions on parking issues.

From that, it was decided as part of the first phase of works by CORMAC, yellow line works would be carried out in the town.

Before any of the schemes are put in, further statutory Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) consultations have to be carried out.

Notices will be placed on lamp posts and telegraph poles in the areas as part of the statutory TRO consultation.

Mr Taylor told the meeting: “The TRO consultation will be coming out soon so you will see site notices erected from the 19th of October where new restrictions have been requested. Everyone has a chance to feed into the TRO consultation.”

Mr Taylor said as well as the town parking review, another review will look at car parking throughout Cornwall.

He said: “The budget setting process at Cornwall Council relies heavily on income from car parks. We manage 133 revenue generating car parks and 50 plus free car parks. The income supports other front line services Cornwall Council offer and provide.

“The new thought is around whether car parks can be operated in a different way, so they will stimulate economic growth within towns.

“The budget setting process will continue alongside this but we will try and move away from that income driven operation, so to speak.”

He added they will be looking at that over the next few months and said the council is ‘hopeful people will feed into that’.

Royston Symons from Launcells Parish Council, said motorists are not able to give their car parking tickets away to others in Bude’s Cornwall Council car parks if there is still time left on the ticket. He described it as ‘income driven’ and asked if this could be changed.

Mr Taylor suggested it is something that can be looked at as part of the review.

Liberal Democrat Cornwall Councillor for Bude, Nigel Pearce, added: “It causes extremely long queues — in some up to 30 or 40 yards of people queuing up. If you went to Sainsbury’s and bought two litres of Coke and drink half you can give it away to someone — what’s the difference?”

Details of how to have your say in the upcoming TRO consultation will be displayed on lamp posts and telegraph poles in Bude. Mr Taylor said this would also be accessible through Cornwall Council’s website by searching the ‘consultation finder’.

For more information on the town parking review, visit https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/parkingreview

l Do you think a multi-storey car park would solve Bude’s parking problems? Email your views to [email protected]