A business body has hit out at a potential plan to build a care home in a Newquay car park following concerns the scheme will be detrimental to an already “at risk” town centre.

Newquay BID manager Mark Warren believes businesses will be negatively impacted if Cornwall Council goes ahead with a proposal to relocate Penberthy Care Home on Mount Wise to Tregunnel Hill car park.

He states Newquay BID has been in a “constant battle” with the council to try and make Newquay town centre as inviting to visit as possible following its decision to increase car park charges and bring in winter parking charges.

Cornwall Council is “looking closely” at siting Penberthy care home in a part of Tregunnel Hill car park that has been sectioned off by height barriers as the building is “no longer fit for purpose.”

But Mr Warren argues the unitary authority should consider compulsory purchasing a derelict hotel site and redevelop that into a residential care home rather than lose valuable car park spaces.

He also believes Cornwall Council should have consulted Newquay BID in the first instance if there is the potential for car park spaces could be lost.

Mr Warren said: “We seem to be under constant battle with Cornwall Council around our car parks in Newquay.

“Without consultation to the BID they have increased car parking costs, they have bought in winter car parking charges and now they're now taking car park spaces away again.

“Have they had a consultation with the people that matter, which are the business community? No, they haven't.

“I’m very shocked and surprised that they think that this is okay.

“We have derelict hotel buildings that should be compulsory purchased from the owners and turned into care homes before the council thinks about developing a car park again.

“The developers should be made accountable for allowing them to become eyesores.

“I completely respect we need to have infrastructure available for care homes but not to the detriment of an already at-risk town centre.

“This is another one of Cornwall Council's ‘Oh, we've got a bit of land. Let's have a bit more of that and turn it into something else.’

“It frustrates me there have been no consultations or no thought about how that affects Newquay town centre.

“One of the biggest pushbacks from people that come to Newquay is always talking about the lack of car parking spaces.

“When it comes to parking, losing more parking spaces is not a good plan.

“I’m very unhappy about the idea, and I'm sure the business community would feel the same way.

“It's an absolute joke the council is thinking about taking more parking spaces away from Newquay at this time.”

Cornwall Council previously erected 18 self-contained SoloHaus homeless pods in the Tregunnel Hill car park in 2024 despite fears it would be detrimental to businesses in the town centre after 95 car park spaces were lost.