Cornwall 'peasants are revolting' to stop landowner's 'abuse of privilege'
You would think that the beautiful Roseland Peninsula on Cornwall's south coast would be a quiet haven of contentment. That's certainly not the case in the Portholland area where residents say they are prepared to take physical action to stop an "abuse of privilege" by a wealthy local landowner.
Armed with placards and signs screaming "the peasants are revolting", "feudal tyrant stealing common land" and "arrogance, ignorance and greed", this band of Cornish folk are prepared to do everything it takes to stop the local Caerhays Estate installing parking equipment at the rural West Portholland beach car park.
This long-standing issue looked to be solved to the satisfaction of residents last June when a planning application to put a payment machine and an automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) camera on a pole at the quiet spot was refused by a Cornwall Council planning committee. However, the bid by Birmingham-based Initial Parking Ltd on behalf of the Caerhays Estate, which owns the beach, was approved on appeal by a Bristol-based Government planning inspector in December.
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The application received almost 150 comments of objection on Cornwall Council's planning portal, with one councillor stating "we have something very, very special here and it needs protection". There are now moves to ensure the equipment is never installed.
At a meeting of Veryan Parish Council on Monday (January 20) councillors discussed the possibility of seeking legal advice to pursue a claim that the whole area is common land / public space and has been and should be used for the benefit of residents in perpetuity ... and definitely shouldn't mean people having to pay to park to use the beach and coastal path.
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"It's been used by generations, by both locals and visitors, and people have been parking here for nothing since the car was invented. It's part of our heritage and shouldn't be exploited as a predatory way of making money," said one of the protesting group.
Only three people live in the tiny hamlet of West Portholland itself - the rest of the properties are all second homes or holidays lets, many owned by the Caerhays Estate.
Ben Bennett, who lives about a mile away, said: "The access to the beach at West Portholland has been used for launching boats, collecting seaweed and for other activities for years ... it is part of the highway and we pay road tax so that we can continue to enjoy the use of it. It should not be turned into a car park.
"The local people, the parish council and Cornwall Council have all rejected the application for parking paraphernalia on this area of outstanding natural beauty. The idea that somebody from Bristol can overrule their decision in favour of a profit-making company from the Midlands is a slap in the face for democracy.
"The tourist industry is an essential part of the Cornish economy but holidaymakers are being put off by the voracious and misleading activities of the parking companies. It is often difficult and / or impossible to purchase a ticket and understand their rules and regulations. They are then quick to intimidate you into paying an extortionate fine, with threats of legal action."
The protesters stress there is no phone signal at Portholland, which could add to any parking problems and fines.
Mr Bennett added: "We know that many local people and visitors have been deterred from using the beach as it now makes them feel fearful and uneasy, causing anxiety and distress in a place where anxiety and distress have no place."
The whole community comes down to the beach for a big Bonfire Night party and fireworks display in November organised by Mr Bennett. They are concerned introducing a parking tariff will spell the end of the event.
I asked the residents what steps they would take if the ANPR equipment is installed at their beloved beach. Mr Bennett's wife April said: "As we have failed to stop it officially, we only have one route to go which is direct action. We have a large call-out list of people who, as soon as we know the company is down here installing the cameras, will come down and do their very best to prevent them."
What would that mean, I asked. Lying down in front of vehicles, chaining yourselves to machinery? "Stuff like that, yes," added Mrs Bennett. "Physically preventing them."
The estate previously put a machine and camera up at the spot, which were taken down by local people. "When they came down to reinstall them there was another protest and someone did physically stop them putting the camera up. The police were called and somebody called the car parking company off.
"The visitors in the holiday cottages were 'inconvenienced' and realised that local people were up in arms about what was happening."
The group say there has been very little communication from Caerhays Estate and its current owner Charles Williams, who runs Caerhays Castle Gardens and Burncoose Nurseries. Mrs Bennett said she had received a "very nice" letter from Mr Williams in 2021 but nothing since.
"At best it's insensitive, at worst it's greedy, it's high-handed, it's arrogant, it smacks of abuse of privilege, it's 'a rich man in his castle, a poor man at his gate'," said Christopher Quayle, who lives just half a mile from the beach. "Caerhays claim they own the beach but they are just custodians of it. They're abusing that caring remit."
"People come down here with their children and grandchildren - it's an attack on local people," said another neighbour.
The planning inspector, Hollie Nicholls, 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."
She added that those living in the area need not use a vehicle to access the beach, but the protesters argue that as only three people actually live in the hamlet that's not exactly true. Many of those who visit the beach and coast path regularly to exercise or walk their dogs come from as far as Portloe, Veryan and Tregony several miles away.
We have contacted the Caerhays Estate for a response to the residents' concerns and the prospect they may be faced with a peaceful yet committed protest if they attempt to install the parking machinery.