AFTER nearly two years of consultations and negotiations, Calstock Parish Council will take over the management of the four County Council-owned car parks in the parish — with reduced parking charges at Gunnislake.

Following a lot of work by the parish council's car park committee, a meeting of the full parish council last week was told of the committee's recommen-dation to sign the leases for three car parks — Gunnislake, Harrow-barrow and Calstock Railway — from Cornwall Council and take over the running and maintenance of those and Calstock Quay car park, which will once again be owned by the parish council, as it was originally before the regeneration of the quay.

Taking over the leases of the car parks will mean the parish council will pay for the maintenance and running costs, but any major works would be carried out and paid for by Cornwall Council.

Cllr Dick Hoile, chair of the car park committee, said: 'We have been looking at the car parks for the best part of two years and we have finally come to a decision point. We now have a working plan of how we're going to run the car parks.

'We have recommended to stay with Cornwall Council's parking order so that we can use their enforcement. We now need to purchase a ticket machine and have found a reconditioned one that will cost around £1,000 rather than the £5,000 it costs for a new one.'

Cllr Hoile said it was expected to cost the council around £11,000 in the first year to maintain and run the car parks, which included the ticket machine and new signage etc. Subsequent years were expected to cost around £7,000.

The council would not be making any changes to the car parks other than reducing the fees at Gunnislake car park.

It was recommended that the council sign the three car park leases and take over the running and maintenance of the four car parks and recommended to stay in the Cornwall Parking Order, pay for enforcement and pay for the ticket machine.

The recommendations were unanimously agreed.

Currently, Gunnislake car park is free to park in between 9am and 10am and 40p after that for an hour and £1.20 for one to two hours.

It is now proposed for parking to be free for the first two hours, with no return for four hours, and an all day charge of £3.

There will also be residents' permits available for £100 per year, annual permits for £300 per year and a number of spaces available for the doctor's surgery at £200 per year.

The new charges are expected to come into force on August 1.