Penryn Town Council has decided not to reserve two spaces in a current “grey area” of Permarin car park for council use only.

The proposal, put forward at January’s council meeting, aimed to keep two underused parking bays, between the top of the shoppers’ parking area and the car park for Mariners chip shop, available for use by the council.

A main concern for the council was being able to guarantee free parking for registrars at wedding ceremonies in the town hall, when the spaces outside the hall are already occupied by wedding cars.

Councillor Cait Hutchins said: “If the space is there and it’s not being used, I like the idea of having it, it’s the professional thing to do.”

The space is currently not in regular use, as there has been confusion over who owns it.

Councillor Mary May said: “Mariners thought it was theirs, but the signs don’t cover this area. People used to park there but when Mariners’ signs went up it became a grey area, before we found out it was ours as part of the lease.”

However there were objections from Councillors Edward Wilkes, and Martin Mullins, who believed reserving a space for council parking would be unpopular with Penryn residents, considering parking difficulties around the town centre.

Councillor Mullins said: “This could be a stick for people to beat us with.”

Councillor David Garwood suggested that the spaces could have a collapsible bollard, and used by the public most of the time but with the option of the council reserving them when needed.

It was also suggested that further research be carried out, with the possibility that a disabled parking space could be created.

The council voted by a majority of eight to three to reject the proposal, with one abstention.