Previous attempts by the landowner to install park equipment at the beautiful site have been described as “criminal”, “predatory” and “invasive”.
An application by Birmingham-based Initial Parking Ltd to install a payment machine and ANPR camera on a pole in West Portholland car park Cornwall on behalf of landowner Caerhays Estate was rejected by Cornwall Council's planning department in June 2024.
The site lies within the Cornwall National Landscape, the Heritage Coast, and part of the northern boundary of the car park is formed by the two heritage-listed lime kiln structures. The site also offers access to the South West Coast Path.
It was rejected on the grounds that “the proposed park infrastructure… would constitute alien and visually disturbing man-made features which would not preserve or enhance the landscape character and scenic beauty of the Cornwall National Landscape in which the site lies or the surrounding area.” The adjacent, listed lime kiln cannot be overlooked due to its design and size.”
However, an appeal by the applicant was upheld after a building inspector, Hollie Nicholls, visited the site on December 11.
A similar previous application was described as a “crime” by Cornwall councilor John Fitter when it was rejected in November 2021, while residents living near the seaside resort on the Roseland Peninsula – between Truro and St Austell – called an action group , Friends of Portholland, founded predatory and ugly parking operations.
Cllr Fitter said at the time: “We have something very, very special here and it needs to be protected,” adding that he was “horrified” by the signage in the car park. He added: “It would be a crime to allow this to happen here.”
Fellow councilor Michael Bunney told the meeting that there was no modern development in West Portholland and that it would be wrong to introduce the machine and cameras there.
The new application received almost 150 objection comments on Cornwall Council's planning portal.
Explaining her reasons for overturning the refusal, the inspector said: “The proposal aims to provide the minimum infrastructure required to enable the continued use of the site as a car park on a paid basis.” As is the case for a beach car park, even in a national landscape , is fairly typical, there are numerous man-made objects and structures within and around the site, including power and telecommunications lines, other signs, a rescue device, marine defense structures, movable furniture and fencing.
“While the proposal would appear to add two more modern objects to the collection described above, this would not result in the area being degraded by modern or foreign elements.”
Ms Nicholls said there were similar devices at nearby Porthluney Cove and East Portholland car parks.
She added: “I note the numerous objections which suggest that people are being deterred from using the car park, resulting in parking on local streets and therefore congestion.” Although I understand the community's desire to To maintain the usability of the space, it will continue to be available for parking, albeit for a fee.
“Those who live in the area do not necessarily need to use a vehicle to access the beach and community gatherings need not be hindered by the need to pay a pro-rata fee to park a vehicle for the duration of relevant events. “Overall, I don't think the need to pay for parking would put people off enough to cause congestion on local streets.”
Those opposed to the installation of the park equipment are now racing against time to oppose permission to appeal to the Supreme Court.
Kezia Bennett from the Friends of Portholland group has put out an appeal for financial help. She said: “Regrettably, our planning success in preventing Caerhays Estate from building invasive infrastructure on the small piece of land at West Portholland beach head was overturned by the Independent Planning Inspectorate.”
“We could subject this to judicial review, which would be the next logical step. But even a team meeting with a lawyer (one with excellent knowledge of the field) costs £1,500 plus VAT. It will go far beyond hiring a lawyer to review.”
She added: “As we received the result on the Friday before Christmas and only had a month to go, we unfortunately had to start work next week to get it finished on time. Unlike Caerhays and Initial Parking, we don't have a pot of money. Do we have philanthropic friends who want to leave a legacy by keeping this part of the world pristine, friendly and accessible to the community? We have found a lawyer, but we cannot continue without financial support.”
The group can be contacted via the Facebook page “Friends of Portholland against predatory and ugly parking maneuvers”.