Concerns over lack of 'safe drop off' for coaches

There are concerns coaches will choose other destinations like Newquay and Falmouth if they can not park in the coach park in Truro

There are concerns in Truro about a lack of parking spaces in the city's coach park for visiting coaches.

Cornwall Council sub-lets about half of the coach spaces in the parking area behind Truro’s M&S store to Go Cornwall buses.

Some businesses and councillors in the city believe this was forcing visiting coaches to find other destinations due to lack of parking spaces.

The council said it had increased the number of coach spaces in Truro, if Tregurra park and ride was considered part of the city.

'Hell up'

Bus driver Jonathan Keam said the decision to halve the number of coach spaces was “putting two fingers up to Truro”, said the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

“Truro is losing out as I know coaches are turning around and taking people to places like Newquay and Falmouth instead. There’s hell up,” he said.

Councillor Rob Nolan, who sits on both Truro City Council and Cornwall Council, has written to the county’s portfolio holder for transport, councillor Richard Williams-Pears, lobbying to get the coaches back in the park.

In a letter to the Conservative cabinet member, Mr Nolan (Lib Dem, Boscawen and Redannick) said: “The sub-letting of Truro Coach Park to Go Buses means that it is full of buses and coaches are unable to safely drop there.

"The town crier greets coaches and tells me they regularly arrive, find they can’t drop off, and take people off to Falmouth and Newquay instead.

"We’ve got 20 coaches carrying cruise ship passengers due shortly and are worried we’ll lose these as well."

Mr Nolan said the city council had arranged a meeting with Cornwall Council transport officers at the coach park to discuss the concerns.

The coach park is used by various companies

A spokesperson for Cornwall Council said the local authority appreciated the importance to Truro’s economy of both visiting coaches and local bus services.

They said: "Go Cornwall Bus (GCB) – which operates the subsidised bus network on behalf of Cornwall Council – has made use of space at Truro Coach Park since 2020.

"This means drivers can access GCB driver facilities as well as support staff and the Network Control hub.

“The agreement to use the site has recently been formalised with the introduction of new signs and parking bays in the coach park."

The council said there were five bays for GCB use, six bays for visiting coaches, and another bay for the community bus."

It said it would consider further increasing the number of spaces available if there was "a demonstrable need."