We live in the UK's 'coolest' seaside hotspot - but it's becoming a ghost town thanks to 'ridiculous

LOCALS in a village dubbed Britain’s coolest seaside hotspot fear it's becoming a ghost town due to "ridiculous" parking rules.

The sleepy Cornish fishing village of Polperro comes alive in the summer months as up to 25,000 tourists and visitors arrive per day.

Earlier this year it was voted the coolest place in the UK to live.

But independent businesses in the town say they are being pushed to the brink following a slow summer which they blame on bad weather, the rising cost of living and the lack of parking choices.

Earlier this month a popular cafe and art hub was forced to close.

Lesa Welch - owner of Coffee Cake Create - blamed a "considerable drop in footfall in the village" for making it impossible to continue.

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Sonya Darbo, who owns the Seahorse Polperro gift shop, fears other business owners won’t be far behind - blaming a cash-only car park which recently increased prices.

She said: "Sadly I fear Lesa will be the first of many. The car park is killing the village.

"Most people don’t carry cash on them so they get to the car park and turn around straight away and go elsewhere. 

"I often see customers browsing then realising they have to get back to their car and leave - it is drawing people away from the town and hurting businesses.

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"You see people up there scratching around for enough change to come and spend money in the town.

"People staying for a week have to come up with 40 pound coins.

"The other week I had a day where I made £6 in a whole day - this business is my life but if we’re not careful the whole place will become a ghost town."

Polperro’s main street is so narrow cars are banned and visitors must park in the main car park and walk 750 metres.

Parking here is not good.

But shopkeepers say the privately owned cash-only car park which charges a minimum of £6 for up to three hours - up by a pound last year - is putting off customers.

Parking there all day costs up to £15.

Miss Darbo says she and others have urged the car park’s owner to install card machines or change to pay on exit to encourage visitors to stay as long as they like.

And the village pharmacist, who gave his name as Shan, said car parking issues in the village were preventing patients from accessing healthcare.

He said: "I have people saying I can’t go for my vaccination or flu jab because I can’t afford to park.

"Other people park in front of the shop blocking the road because they feel they have no other option.

"The prices are too much for somebody coming for a vaccination or to pick up a prescription - it’s stopping people accessing healthcare."

Shan, who has run Robert’s Pharmacy since 2015, added that he is so often asked for change for the car park and public toilet it costs him £1,000 per year in bank fees to keep replenishing his change.

Locals rated Polperro as one of Cornwall’s worst car parks in a poll for Cornwall Live last year due to the high prices and cash-only options.

Holiday-maker Sarah Cawdrey, 60, from Bedfordshire, who visits Polperro several times each year, said: “Parking here is not good.

"I think it’s incredibly expensive and you can’t always get a space, which isn’t good for businesses.

"For disabled people it is also a long way to walk into the village. I wouldn’t say we were put off by it but we have noticed more closed shops this time."

'IT'S BEEN A QUIET YEAR'

Eric Smyth, 44, a refuse worker from Birmingham, said: "It is a lot to park - it’s the sort of amount you would expect to pay in city centres like London or Birmingham.

"Because there is only one place to park we don’t have any choice but one of our party has a blue badge and is still charged.

"I think it should be free for disabled people or people over a certain age."

Polperro was recognised as one of the most peaceful places in the UK and was also previously named the third most charming village in the country.

Artist Gina Farrell, 53, said she thinks the parking prices are pretty fair. 

She said: "Two pounds per hour is pretty reasonable to enjoy this view of the harbour.

"It has been like this for a long time and the owner won’t bring it down so we have to put a positive spin on it and remember they are a business like any other.

"It has been a quiet year compared to previous years but I think that is affected by the cost of living."

The Sun Online has tried to contact the car park's owners for comment, with no response.

Concerns about parking charges have been raised in other seaside towns and villages, including Longhoughton in Northumberland.

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There have also been complaints about a fee increases in Great Yarmouth in Norfolk and over a change to parking rules in Folkestone, Kent.

And locals have protested over a proposed 300 per cent prike hike to park on the seafront in Brighton, East Sussex.

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