A HERITAGE trust has looked to ease fears about its proposed management of a Newquay headland and car park.

Campaign group Protect Pentire Headland: Stop Unfair Parking Charges and Keep it for the People has been set up following concerns free parking during the winter and evenings have been scrapped, car park prices increased and bins removed since Cornwall Heritage Trust was devolved the East Pentire Headland car park from Cornwall Council on Monday, August 11.

The trust has given assurances the parking charges will remain at the same as they did under Cornwall Council’s ownership.

It also stated there will be no charge for parking during the winter months between November 1 and March 31 and that the bin contract will be reinstated while it explores options for the future. It added emptying the bins will be a substantial amount of money each year and the arrangement will be kept under review.

A spokesperson for Protect Pentire Headland said: “Local residents and visitors to East Pentire Headland in Newquay are losing affordable access to one of Cornwall’s most beautiful coastal spots.

“Free winter parking and free evenings have been scrapped, prices have increased despite stating the will not, bins have been removed, and management has been handed to NPC Parking, a company based outside Cornwall. These changes will likely push cars into nearby residential streets, make everyday visits harder for locals, and mean fewer visitors will be able to afford to enjoy this special place.

“Cornwall Council promised not to sell car parks to private profiteers, yet selling to Cornwall Heritage Trust has had the same effect. The trust is using the headland to raise funds for unrelated projects, with no direct benefit to the site itself. If nothing changes, Pentire will become less accessible, the local environment will suffer, and the relationship between visitors and residents will be damaged.

“Once these new charges and policies become the norm, it will be much harder to reverse them. Pentire Headland has been cared for and respected by the community for years and it should remain open and accessible to all, not treated as a profit focussed cash machine. We must act now to restore fair pricing, protect the environment, and keep this special place for the people who love it.

“Cornwall Heritage Trust are taking on five historic sites across Cornwall this year, including Pentire Headland car park.

“Putting pressure on them now will show that public voices matter and encourage them to make decisions that truly benefit the local communities around all of their sites, which is why this petition matters even if you’re not from Newquay.”

Cornwall Heritage Trust has apologised for the “teething problems,” which have led to “misunderstandings” and “discontent.” It added income from the car park will be used to help manage the headland.

A spokesperson said: “The transfer of East Pentire Headland and car park to Cornwall Heritage Trust is part of a programme of devolutions of sites to the ownership of the charity happening this year. In total, five historic sites around Cornwall will be transferred and will join the existing properties in our care, all of which are freely accessible all year round.

“While discussions with Cornwall Council have been ongoing for almost two years, the actual dates and terms of transfer have been difficult to confirm; and it was only last Friday that we knew that East Pentire Headland was being completed on Monday.

“We were able to put in place some arrangements in advance but, like with all new acquisitions, there are always teething problems and these unfortunately led to misunderstandings and discontent, for which we are very sorry.

“Moving forwards, we can confirm that parking charges remain the same as they did under Cornwall Council’s ownership. Until the new signage is in place the evening charges will stand but this will be amended as soon as possible. The signage at the site will be updated and corrected. We apologise for any confusion.

“There will be no charge for parking during the winter months from November 1 to March 31. We are arranging a public consultation event at which we welcome all interested parties to attend. The date will be announced shortly through our social media and website.

“We know that people are concerned about the removal of the bins from the car park.

“Like many organisations we have a no litter bin policy on our sites. However, we are aware that there is an issue with the removal of the bins at East Pentire Headland during the summer period.

“The bin contract will be reinstated while we explore options for the future; emptying the bins will be a substantial amount of money each year and this arrangement will be kept under review. In the meantime, we would be very grateful if people would take their litter home and dispose of it sensibly. We will update our website as soon as we know when the bins will be reinstated.

“We are a small, independent charity. We do not receive any central funding and no additional funding has been received to support the new sites; none of the sites that we manage and protect generate any income or cover their costs. Interestingly, the cost of insurance for East Pentire Headland was almost the same as we pay for all of the 17 other sites combined.

“The car park income will help to support the very important historic places in our care, including East Pentire, and enable them to be enjoyed by the public. We are proud of the successes of our Ranger team who work so hard to maintain the green spaces in our care and our track record of protecting and improving sites deemed to be “at risk”.

“We have a very small but passionate team, and we would appreciate everyone’s patience while we resolve some of the issues that have arisen since Monday.

“Unfortunately, we cannot respond to all of the comments individually, but we are reading them and updating our FAQs website page as we have further information to share. Please could people look at that before getting in touch, hopefully it addresses their concerns. If they still have a question they are welcome to email us on [email protected] and we will do our best to respond.”