Concerns over changes at East Pentire Headland following ownership transfer

Concerns have been raised over the removal of litter bins and planned new parking arrangements at East Pentire Headland in Newquay.

Cornwall Heritage Trust has taken over ownership of the headland and its car park from Cornwall Council. The charity says income from the car park will now support its charitable work.

The car park will be managed by a private company (NPC). Cornwall Councillor Joanna Kenny has suggested cameras would be used at the site, and expressed concern about the removal of litter bins, which were previously the responsibility of the council.

Cllr Kenny said: “I was a bit startled to see their first move was to remove all the litter bins - I understand that they believe that without the bins, the public will take their litter (and their doggy poo bags) away with them. Of course visitors and locals alike should do that but will they?

“They will be introducing camera control over the car park - they’ve assured me that will be backed up by a physical presence as we know from Little Fistral that cameras alone has problems. I would have thought mid-August a bad time to make massive changes.”

Some social media users have criticised the trust for introducing an external parking management company and ANPR cameras. One person wrote: “What a shame a ruthless car parking company is making money off people wanting to enjoy this historic site.”

Another asked whether the changes would be “good news for the local surfing community and regular dog walkers” and if local parking rates would still apply.

Others questioned whether parking charges could limit access to heritage and nature sites, with one post describing NPC car park installation as “a huge barrier to access”.

Charity responds to concerns

The charity has now added a Frequently Asked Questions section to its website which it says addresses a number of concerns raised online since the announcement of the transfer.

It states: “Cornwall Heritage Trust is a small charity and does not have capacity to oversee the day-to-day management of the car park in-house,” confirming that car park management has been contracted to National Parking Control (NPC) initially for one year.

The charity says NPC was selected “after careful consideration from several different companies as it was the most flexible and approachable”, adding that the arrangement will be reviewed at the end of the contract period and will include “feedback from local consultation”.

Parking charges will remain the same as those previously set by Cornwall Council and will be subject to the “usual annual reviews”. The car park will be free from 1 November until 31 March each year.

Cornwall Heritage Trust says income from parking will help to maintain its portfolio of historic sites, and that “all of our sites are free to access all year round and this will provide a valuable source of income to support their maintenance”.

On the subject of litter bins, the charity says they were removed because there is currently no contract for waste disposal at the site, and it wanted to avoid a situation where bins might become full and overflow. “Visitors are encouraged to please take their litter home in the meantime,” it says.

“Emptying the bins at this one site will cost over £5,000 per year and we have to be certain that, as a charity, we are being responsible with costs. There are no bins at any of our other sites for this reason. Please bear with us while we make plans for the future and be reassured that we are listening to your concerns and feedback.”