This petition is to urge Cllr Connor Donnithorn and Cornwall Council to rethink its strategy of putting all car parks into 3 bandings including Millpool car park West Looe into band A. This should be part of a wider review of charging hikes and impact on communities across Cornwall. 

It’s important to act now before the parking order is in place. This effects all residents, businesses and visitors to Looe and Cornwall. 

Impact on Looe.

The 2 local representative, Looe Town Council and local residents have made strong arguments why Cllr Donnithorn decision is unfair to residents, local charities, workers and small businesses but have been ignored. 

A business survey where 100% of small businesses were against the placing of Millpool car park in band A has been ignored.

Looe is not a affluent town. In Indices of Multiply Deprivation database, Looe is in the worse 20% for child poverty and 23rd worse of all areas for child poverty. 

Small, mainly seasonal businesses believe the rise in charges will drive visitors and residents away from the town. They are already facing energy hikes and the cost of living crisis which is causing hardship to their businesses. Winter charging hikes will be particularly damaging. 

Increased charges will impact on businesses and deter residents and day visitors from locality and surrounding village from visiting the town.

The reasons why this decision to increase charges and remove free evening parking in summer months is unfair and potentially discriminatory including;

Looe’s geography means residents live at the top of steep sided valleys and cars are the only option. The bus service has been cut and is not an option to people living in Plaidy, Sunrising, West Looe Hill, Downs, Tregarrick, Goonwartha, Woodland View and other remoter settlements.

Residents in surrounding villages use Looe as a service centre including surgery, post office, shops, estate agents, leisure. 

It’s a tax burden on local residents who cannot park outside their own home, we don’t believe local residents have been prioritised.

We believe the change in banding will drive residents and visitors to park in residential areas like Hannafore and Downs which is already causing problems of obstruction.

It’s a tax burden on workers within the town, especially night time workers who often work on minimum wage. Businesses are already struggling to fill vacancies.

We challenge the premise that the charges will drive people to public transport and therefore reduce carbon outputs. This assumes there is a comprehensive and convenient public transport network to drive people to. The notion that increased charges will promote behaviour change is misguided. Routes have recently been cut. No service after 6pm to/from Pelynt, 5 buses to Hannafore daily for example. Holiday camps are prioritised rather than local residents. 

We believe it would be better to establish a park and ride scheme or better bus service, to drive people to public transport rather than just using the blunt tool of raising charges. This gives the impression that Cornwall is only interested in raising revenue and not serious about tackling congestion in the town and climate change. 

We believe that the increased charges will cause an increase in contravention of TROs as people look for free parking closer to the town centre. This will impact on Cornwall Council enforcement budget and has not been factored in.

We worry that emergency services especially Coastguard and the RNLI, who need to access to the seafront through the town will struggle to navigate Fore Street as more people “take a chance” to park in Fore Street and West Looe Square to shop.

Looe is primarily a family resort. We don’t believe enough weight has been given to the distance visitors and residents will have to walk to access the town and beach, especially for visitors with young children and beach paraphernalia.

Visitors will just feel disgruntled and “ripped off” and therefore affect the reputation of Looe and Cornwall. 

We don’t believe people with disabilities, frailties and mobility problems have been consulted and the impact on then considered. It’s a long way from the Millpool car park into the town; raising prices will drive them to other resorts. 

We don’t believe the impact on the economy of Looe has been factored into the charging regime proposed, especially the night time economy.

We don’t believe the impact on charities running social activities in the locality  have been properly appreciated in the charges proposed. It’s de facto a tax on local people accessing the Millpool Centre, Library Community Hub and play facilities. 
Typically, fitness, learning or dance sessions cost £4.50 per so an additional parking charge of £2.00 will inevitably make the sessions unaffordable to families and those on a fixed income. 

Not everyone has a smart phone or the knowledge to use the app. This will especially affect the elderly and disabled. Looe Town Council has as a priority making Looe as accessible as possible to people with disabilities and inform. We are working with Access Cornwall to make Looe as accessible as possible. Having to use an app to access discounts puts in place a serious barrier. We don’t believe reliance on technology been checked for disability compliance?

We believe Looe residents are being penalised with the zone A classification when unlike other areas, there is no alternative choice of parking. 

We would therefore like to make some suggestions: 

-Introduce a realistic locals rate for shorter periods of parking, using the App if necessary.  The Caradon residents parking card was very popular before the unitary. You stated aim is not to disadvantage local people but this proposal clearly does.
- Where it can be demonstrated that residents are volunteering to maintain the area and wider area, they are issued with a permit to park.
- Adjust the JustPark app to allow a reduced rate for shorter periods of parking.  The very expensive minimum rate in the JustPark app (an increase of more than 500% in the summer) simply does not meet this requirement.
- Recognise that Kilminorth Woods is not an “overflow car park for the Millpool” – it is very rarely used as such – nor is it a realistic long-stay car park.  The majority of people parking there are those wishing to walk in Kilminorth Woods, or volunteering maintaining the woods, something the Council should surely encourage.  A slightly cheaper rate at Kilminorth Woods has been agreed but will not address the core issues above as it’s far too far away from residential areas and only has 10 spaces. 

-Remove charging after 6pm to benefit local people with no other option for parking, allow nighttime economy is thrive, benefit minimum wage workers and community facilities. This would allow those attending summer evening groups and events to have an affordable parking option, albeit with a longer walk. This could all be achieved by placing The Millpool in Zone B all year round.
- Assist Looe Town Council to explore a park and ride scheme.