Cornwall Councillors discuss new car parking charges

Rapsons car park in Liskeard is among those that would be in line for increased charges

Cornwall Council is considering making changes to car parking charges across the county, with one councillor warning of a possible hike in prices.

The council is looking to introduce three new zones that cover all 135 car parks it operates.

The scheme would classify car parks depending on where they are located and what they are used for.

One councillor said a car park in Liskeard currently charged £1.70 for a full day but this would go up to £5.50.

Nick Craker, councillor for Liskeard Central, told the economic growth and development overview and scrutiny committee the Rapsons car park was popular with people using Liskeard train station.

He said: "I am not convinced that this is the right approach to take to have three bands across the county.

"What is the impact on using public transport by making the car park four times more expensive to use? I am concerned that there are too many different anomalies that are going to have to be ironed out."

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said there were currently 120 different tariffs in place across council car parks and it was hoped that simplifying the system would improve it for motorists.

Under the proposals, car parks in tourist hotspots would have higher charges, whereas those which were used mainly by local residents would have lower rates.

The council is looking to increase charges with the new highest one-hour parking rate being £2.20 in a Zone A car park.

Areas to have the most expensive Zone A car parks include: Bude, Fowey, Hayle, Polzeath, Widemouth Bay, Marazion, Looe, Padstow, Perranporth, Polzeath, Port Isaac, Porthtowan and Seaton.

Areas in Zone B include: Carbis Bay, Falmouth, Newquay, Penzance and St Ives.

Zone C, the cheapest zone, includes car parks in Launceston, Liskeard, Par, St Agnes and Tintagel.

The new parking tariffs will now be subject to public consultation starting on 19 January, and will also have to be approved by the council's cabinet.

If they are approved, then they could be introduced on 1 April.