TRELAWNY ROAD CAR PARK CHARGES
What is happening?
On 1st February 2022 a new charging regime will be in place at Trelawny Road car park, St Agnes. The car park will still remain free for the majority of the time, and during peak times parking spaces can still be used for free for 90 minutes at a time.
FREE: 6pm – 7am Every day
FREE: All day Sunday
The following applies 7am-6pm Monday-Saturday:
Up to 1.5 hours – FREE
Up to 2 hours – £1.00
Up to 3 hours – £3.00
All day – £5.00
Why is this happening?
Over the course of many years the community have highlighted that the lack of available parking spaces in the car park is a major issue. The turnover rate of vehicles is too low during peak times meaning the car park has been largely useless for those wishing to use the local facilities, such as the library, chemist, shops, classes and events at the Miners & Mechanics Institute and so on. A particular problem are long term stationary vehicles (many days or weeks at a time) and those using it as effectively a park and ride car park and getting the bus in to Truro for the day. The introduction of peak chargeable parking will alleviate this problem.
Has this got community backing?
A full public survey, in which 527 people responded, took place in Autumn 2020. 90% were permanent residents in the Parish. 85% said there was a big issue with the lack of spaces in the car park, and an overwhelming 82% wanted the introduction of charging (see here for full survey results). The community perspective is therefore that this car park is needed during daytime hours for shops and services, and that vehicle turnover is important. During a follow up formal consultation in 2021, just two responses against the introduction of charges were received.
What about resident permits in the car park or on nearby streets?
The Parish Council raised the issues of knock-on impacts to nearby residents with the Highways Authority – Cornwall Council. We asked about the possibility of introducing parking permits for adjacent roads, ensuring only residents could park on nearby streets. The Highways Authority rejected this course of action on a number of grounds, including:
- The case for on-street residential permit introduction is not robust enough – this method is used in areas with greater vehicle movements and footfall and there are few places in Cornwall that would be suited to this – areas of Truro being a rare one.
- The cost of introducing a scheme is significant and the Highways Authority would not pay.
- The success of such schemes is questionable, as residents often complain about paying for permits that do not guarantee them a space near their homes.
- The Highways Authority will not give permission to make changes to on-street parking/restrictions around Trelawny Road car park prior to the introduction of chargeable parking, and will only investigate if and when issues do arise as a result of the establishment of chargeable parking.
The Parish Council also considered the issuing of parking permits to residents to enable long-stay parking inside the car park. After repeated investigation and discussion the Council confirmed that their opinion on usage of the car park is that the main daytime purpose should be for service users, and that the main night-time purpose is for residents. Issuing permits within the car park would not encourage the turnover of vehicles needed to make sure spaces are available during the day, therefore defeating the object of the whole operation. The Council recognise that residents should benefit from free parking at night.
Is this just a money maker for the Council?
No. The Parish Council currently receive around £10,000pa in honesty box income from the car park. After the introduction of charging, the Council expect more than 90% of car park users to use only the free parking periods (based on like-for-like examples elsewhere in Cornwall), and are anticipating a net drop in income from the car park as a result of charging. The Parish Council have taken this course of action entirely to enable the car park to be used more effectively for the good of all, and certainly not as a money maker. A profiteering organisation would install a much higher tariff and have no free periods of parking. The charging tariff being brought in is much cheaper than like for like private or Cornwall Council-run car parks.
Excellent and informative. Thank you
Thanks for your hard work – this seems like a well researched and considered intervention that should make life a little easier for those in and around the parish.
I don’t live in St Agnes now but have many family members that do. The following points are my thoughts only. I think the reasons for the introduction of charges is well thought through. I would be very surprised if any locals using the carpark would need the space for more than 90 minutes to do their shopping and the fact they would only have to pay £1 for up to 2 hours (still not clear if that is once the 90 minutes had passed!) is amazing value for money! I wish it was that cheap in Truro where I live! We have to pay £1.20 minimum even if we only use the car park for 10 minutes! If anyone needs to use the car park to go for a meal in the evenings it’s free from 6pm. Along with the 90 free minutes it means they can park free from 4:30pm. I really can’t understand what locals are complaining about. If someone can please give me a scenario where someone would be inconvenienced by the introduction of charges, I would be interested to see it! Anyone using the carpark should be honest enough to put at minimum £1 in the honesty box if they are staying for a couple of hours instead of the £3.60 we have to pay in Truro. £5 for a whole day is amazing value! It might also free up spaces for parents delivering their children to school, therefore reducing the awful traffic chaos in the mornings and afternoons along Trelawney Rd down through Beaconsfield. I cannot see one single disadvantage to the introduction of charges and I applaud the Parish Council for making the decision to do so. Well done!
How will this new charging system actually work ie will number plate recognition camera’s be used to establish how long a vehicle is parked?
Hello John,
This will be a pay and display car park. All vehicles will need to get a ticket during the charging times. So if you want to park for less than 90 minutes, you go and get a ticket for free from the machine. If you want to park for up to 2 hours then you pay £1; Up to 3 hours £3; all day £5.
What if you`re parked in car park Sunday then your have to get up there before 7am to pay or any other morning, we don`t all go to work and street parking is a nightmare,this is not thinking of Residents at all.
Hello Pauline,
While the charging period starts at 7am, the first 90 minutes are free – so there will not be an enforcement officer there before 8:30am.
I’m concerned about the volume of traffic in the mornings. At 8.30am parents are delivering children to school and now there will also be a mass exodus of locals from the car park at the same time. Trelawny Road will resemble a scene from ‘The Italian Job.’
Hello Sandra,
We will have to see how it plays out, however we don’t expect a mass exodus at 8:30 as some will decide to simply get a free ticket for a further 90 minutes.
Cars that are in the carpark at 7 am will have to start paying at 8:30 am as the will have had their 90 free minutes.
Thank you for your hard work in trying to keep everyone happy. There was talk of disabled people being given two hours free parking rather than one and a half hours. The disabled get around more slowly..
Thank you for all your hard work- its a good start in please many people most of the time.
The next project however , must be to improve parking provision for those with unavailable land on heir own properties- I do believe that there are ways to improve and increase off road parking in most areas of the village.
I would also propose that until such time that the parking issue is resolved (both off and on summer peak) that the Planning Group should not support application which seek to convert garage spaces to hoilday accommodation unless they can cover losses and additional spaces safely within their own curtalage
Will Parish Council staff be taking up the Trelawney Road residential parking spaces everyday? There’s extremely limited residential parking already. Surely council staff should be paying to use the car park every day.
Hello John,
Council staff have a longstanding arrangement to park on private land, thus not taking up any spaces in Trelawny Rd car park or on surrounding streets. All visitors to the Council, including Councillors themselves, are guided to use Trelawny Rd car park.
There is no Residential Parking on Trelawny Road. The spaces are there for the use of the general public unless the residents of Trelawney Road pay for Residential Parking to be set up (which means they also have to pay for any visitors using their allocated spaces!) understand the Cornwall Council have already said no to that so the Parking is still free and available to anyone paying car tax. Maybe now the main carpark will be pay and display, if enough of the people living on Trelawny Road are willing to pay for it, you could re-apply to Cornwall Council?
Where will the locals with no parking put their cars. I’m thinking of Vicarage Road, Trelawny etc… Lots now work from home, and those who are retired or looking after children will need to find a space in adjacent roads or pay £5 per day. This doesn’t seem fair.
It’s free for most of the time and it’s not just a private carpark for the housing estate it’s for everyone! Even the staff at Treliske hospital have to pay to park there. Perhaps a season ticket could be negotiated for those living nearby, the same way that people with residential parking have to pay to use a space (and for any visitors if their vehicle is not registered at that address!).
How will this be monitored and who is checking the vehicles to see if has a valid ticket ???
Hello Kelvin,
We have entered into a contract with Cornwall Council, who will monitor and enforce the new system.
Will it be a cash only ticket machine? During the pandemic I have rarely used cash.
Hello Kerry,
Payment can be made by cash or card.
St Agnes is changing ( seldom for the better) and I think our Parish Councillors do try hard to avoid spoiling it overly but are often thwarted by clever developper appeals.
3 factors are irrefutable:
-The School has signifficantly incresed in size and is at the end of the cul de sac- soeach car passes the same spot 4 times per day dropping and collecting children – With a little imagination a road can be cut through to join Whites Close with Lawrence road and cleate a 1 way system reducing danger to children and motorists.
– There are more cars per household due to garages being used as storerooms and accommodation and our children living at home and our population working from home. A solution would be to prevent garages becoming accommodation in those locations where ‘jamming’ is known and for homeowners to look at their front gardens ( if they have one) and increase their personal parking provision. Property values now make this feasible.
– St Agnes is a highly desirable spot and growing rapidly due to its real estate value. Again the Parish and every resident should be out there to oppose ALL further luxury development as its clear that the infrastructure is at breaking point; not just parking for residents but also for the influx of visitors throughout the year, but services such as Doctors , Dentist etc. This year i would hope that 1 or2 fields owned , rented or requisitioned by the Parish are opened up in the 3 main approaches to St Agnes to accommodate what will be a traffic onslaught.
I don’t like change either and believe St Agnes will lose its charm and beauty if we let it , but i also think that there are many things that can be done to ease the traffic and parking issue .
I would love to think that after 20 years or more of frustrating all and sundry by causing a 2 – 5 car bottleneck outside Millers Estate agents, that our Parish Councillors will, for the summer season at least remove these 2 parking spaces and re site them opposite on the seating area that i have yet to see used.