Calls for car park to stay under council control

Plans for a private company to manage a car park used by residents on the Rame Peninsula have been described as "inappropriate".

Dozens of people currently have permits to use the Cawsand car park, as there is not enough space on the narrow streets outside their homes.

Some have said they fear those permit spaces could be lost under a different operator as it is one of 28 Cornwall Council is proposing to offload.

The council insisted it wanted to ensure the spaces would be retained in future.

Councillor Kate Ewert, the Labour member for the Rame Peninsula and St Germans, said: "We have really limited street parking in the village just by the very nature of the kind of old Cornish fishing village that it is.

"Residents can't park outside their houses. They can't put drives in.

"It's not an appropriate car park to be in this scheme and it needs to be looked at as a special case. It is going to have such a negative impact on our community and it just needs to be pulled from the scheme."

Jon Kidd, vice-chair of Maker with Rame Parish Council, explained it was integral to local people: "Our community bus is located there, and the boats and kayaks from our fishermen and sailing club."

He predicted a chaotic situation if residents with parking permits lost their spots in the car park.

He said: "Residents will have to compete for very few on-street parking spaces that are available around the village - as the residents' parking zones that are on-street at the moment are woefully inadequate.

"Inevitably, it will clog up the streets with illegal parking blockages for the vital bus service that runs round. So, all in all, it's a real concern."

Councillor Olly Monk, cabinet member for housing and planning on the council, said: "I'd be very keen to ensure that any special arrangements are carried forwards.

"In essence, nothing should change as it's in no-one's interest."

A public consultation on the transfer of the car park ends on Thursday, with a final decision due to be made next month.

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