Council agree to amend parking proposals after consultation

Proposals made by Cornwall Council for new parking tariffs in car parks in the county will be amended following feedback from a consultation.

Cornwall's 135 pay and display and pay on foot car parks will continue to be grouped into one of three 'zones' with Zone A having the highest costs as the council asy they are the busiest areas which are well served by public transport and walking and cycle routes.

Reflecting the views of the public consultation, several car parks will now move to a different zone and charges will no longer be introduced between 1 November 2023 and 31 March 2024 in car parks that have previously been free during the winter.

The council say the price of multi-session tickets will decrease by 50% for Zone A car parks bringing the cost down to £2.50 per session/day. Multi-session tickets for Zone B car parks have also been cut – from £3 to £2 per session/day.

The new tariffs will be introduced from the end of May.

Blue badge holders with adapted vehicles or vehicles exempt from car tax will continue to be able to park for free in Cornwall Council car parks.

Connor Donnithorne, Cornwall Council cabinet portfolio holder for transport, said:

"The changes we have made to our initial proposals reflects the large number of responses we received from residents in Cornwall.

"Initiatives such as lower bus fares and the improvements we have made to walking and cycling routes provide a cheaper and greener way to travel and I hope that those who can make changes to their journeys, will. However, I appreciate that this isn't suitable for all – and at a time when wallets are increasingly stretched we have considered the needs of those who have no choice but to use our car parks on a regular basis and made changes to the cost of multi-session tickets.

"Income from car park charges not only helps to maintain car parks but also supports the Council's wider transport service and without that income, we'd need to find other ways to generate that money."

Other changes to be introduced following the public consultation:

• Multi-use sessions – to be available in all long-stay car parks
• Evening charges in Zone A – proposed increase of £2.50 to be reduced to £2
• Porthtowan Beach car park - to move to a Zone C in the summer.
• Riverbank and Killimorth car parks in Looe - to move to a Zone B in the summer and Zone C in the winter
• St Erbyns car park in Penzance - to move to Zone B in the summer and Zone C in the winter
• Caffa Mill car park Fowey - to move from a Zone A to a Zone B in the summer
• Castle Green, Helston - amend season ticket prices to Zone C