Residents of an “unspoilt” coastal area of Cornwall are in a desperate race against time to fight a decision by a planning inspector to allow an ANPR camera and payment machine at their local West Portholland beach car park.

Previous attempts by the landowner to install parking equipment at the beauty spot have been described as a “crime”, “predatory” and “invasive”.

An application by Birmingham-based Initial Parking Ltd to put a payment machine and an ANPR camera on a pole in West Portholland car park on behalf of landowner Caerhays Estate was refused by Cornwall Council’s planning department in June 2024. The site falls within the Cornwall National Landscape, the Heritage Coast and part of the northern boundary of the car park is formed by the two Grade II listed lime kiln structures. The site also provides access to the South West Coast Path.

It was refused on the grounds that “the proposed parking infrastructure … would represent alien and visually intrusive man-made features which would fail to conserve or enhance the landscape character and scenic beauty of the Cornwall National Landscape in which the site lies or the setting of the adjoining listed historic lime kiln structure due to their design and scale.”

However, an appeal by the applicant was approved after a planning inspector, Hollie Nicholls, visited the site on December 11.

A similar previous application was dubbed a “crime” by Cornwall councillor John Fitter when it was refused in November 2021, while residents living near the coastal hamlet on the Roseland Peninsula – between Truro and St Austell – formed an action group, Friends of Portholland against predatory and ugly parking operations.

Cllr Fitter said at the time: “We have something very, very special here and it needs protection,” adding that signage in the car park left him “horrified”. He added: “It would be a crime to allow this here.” Fellow councillor Michael Bunney said at the meeting that there was no modern development in West Portholland and that it would be wrong to introduce the machine and cameras there.

The new application received almost 150 comments of objection on Cornwall Council’s planning portal. The inspector outlined her reasons for overturning the refusal, saying: “The proposal seeks to provide the minimum necessary infrastructure to facilitate the ongoing use of the site as a car park, on a paid-for basis. As is fairly typical of a beach-fronting car park, even in a National Landscape, there are numerous man-made items and structures within and around the site, including electricity and telecommunication wires, other signs, a lifesaving device, sea defence structures, moveable furniture and sections of fencing.

“Whilst the proposal would add what would appear as two further modern items to the collection described above, they would not result in the spoiling of the area through modern or alien features.”

Ms Nicholls stated there was similar equipment at the nearby Porthluney Cove and East Portholland car parks.

She added: “I note the large number of objections that suggest that people will be deterred from using the car park, leading to parking on the local roads with associated congestion. Whilst I understand the community’s desire to maintain the ease of use of the space, it will still be available for parking, albeit on a paid basis.

“Those that live in the surrounding area need not necessarily use a vehicle to access the beach and community gathering need not be prevented by the need to pay a proportionate fee to park a vehicle for the duration of any relevant events. Overall, I do not consider that the need to pay to park would deter people such that the local roads will become congested.”

Those who are against the parking equipment being installed are now in a fight against time to oppose the appeal approval in the High Court.

Kezia Bennett, of the Friends of Portholland group, has put out a call for financial help. She said: “Sadly our success at planning with regards to Caerhays Estate not being able to put invasive infrastructure on the small patch of land on the beach head at West Portholland has been overturned by the independent planning inspectorate.

“We could take this to judicial review which would be the next logical step. However even just to have a teams call with a barrister (one with excellent knowledge in this field) is £1,500 plus VAT. It will be way beyond that to hire a barrister for the review.”

She added: “Sadly as we got the outcome the Friday before Christmas and only have one month, we would need to start work by next week to get it in on time. Unlike Caerhays and Initial Parking, we don’t have a pot of money. Do we have any philanthropic friends who would like to leave a legacy of keeping this part of the world unspoilt, friendly and accessible to the community? We have identified a barrister but are unable to take things further without financial support.”

The group can be contacted via the ‘Friends of Portholland against predatory and ugly parking operations’ page on Facebook.