Businesses clash over 'unnecessary' car park plans

The Lost Gardens of Heligan said plans would see it able to offer EV charging for customers

Plans to build a new car park are at the centre of a row between a farm shop business and one of Cornwall's most popular gardens.

Earlier this month The Lost Gardens of Heligan near Mevagissey revealed it had applied for planning permission to create a 241 space car park on a field within its site.

The plans were submitted after the nearby Lobbs Family Farm Shop said it would start charging Heligan customers who use its field car park as overflow, citing "a lack of maintenance" by Heligan over the course of a now expired 25-year lease.

The Lobb family called the plans "unnecessary" and highlighted the new car park would be built on Island Field, in an area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB).

Both parties told the Local Democracy Reporting Service there have been unsuccessful negotiations between them to come to an agreement about the parking situation.

A spokesperson for The Lost Gardens of Heligan said: "Their plan to introduce payment machines has led us to investigate increasing and improved Heligan managed parking capacity, including EV charging."

The Lobb family has criticised Heligan's planning application, and said: "The car park agreement that was initiated over 25 years ago expired in 2023.

"A lack of maintenance in the field car park during the last 20 years of the lease with Heligan has led us to instigate changes.

"Ample, discreet parking with safe level access to the gardens already exists outside the AONB and this has served visitors for years."

The new fees are due to be introduced on Tuesday 6 May, with the first hour's parking free.

Parking will be £2.50 for over an hour to two hours, £3.50 all day until 18:30 and £2.50 in the evening from 15:30 - 23:00.