A controversial bid to build a new car-park in a field on the edge of a picturesque coastal village plagued with parking problems has finally been given the go-ahead after 40 years of trying.

Mylor Parish Council says the creation of a car park for Flushing will alleviate the pressures of parking within the village, ensuring the safety of pedestrians and preserving the character of the village, particularly in the busy summer months.

Falmouth Packet: The car park which will occupy a field at the end of its access road Bramblebank off the bend on St Peters Road at the entrance to the villageThe car park which will occupy a field at the end of its access road Bramblebank off the bend on St Peters Road at the entrance to the village (Image: Paul Armstrong)

The council says it will sit low in the landscape, so as to minimise its visual impact and half the site will be retained as grazing land.

An area of summer meadow, planted with native Cornish fruit trees will provide habitat for wildlife and be seasonally grazed to allow for natural maintenance.

Falmouth Packet: A computer generated image of how the car park will lookA computer generated image of how the car park will look (Image: Mei Loci)

To reduce the environmental impact of the construction, the parking area will be made from a heavy duty X-grid system, which will allow grass to grow, stabilise the site and allow free drainage.

Electric vehicle charging points will be included and lighting will be low level and Dark Sky compliant. An additional solar array will power the lighting and ticket machines.

Divided into two levels, the car park will provide a total of 95 spaces, including four disabled spaces and six electric vehicle and charging spaces.

Falmouth Packet: The car park will sit low in the landscapeThe car park will sit low in the landscape (Image: Mei Loci)

Mylor Parish Council chairman John Symons welcomed the decision by Cornwall Council last month saying it was great news for Flushing after 40 years of trying.

“The hard work now starts now,” he said. “First we have to get a lease from the landowner so we can get a grant as the parish council, and rightly so, will not fund the car, we have asked the architect to provide us with Tender packs, so all developers will have the same specifications for costing.

“Also how the car park will be managed, pay and display, I think a free car park will be out of the question, but then never say never, ANPR and residents parking are some ideas, as I said there’s a lot of hard work ahead.”

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However the application divided the village with range of comments from the public on the Cornwall Council planning portal.

Mr Christopher Hazell commented: “[I] consider it to be essential for control of parking in the village. There is at the moment parking chaos in the village at certain times of day, and particularly in the summer.

“Cars park on the pavement, and in inappropriate places, as well as on double yellow lines. At times this has caused difficult access for emergency vehicles, and danger to pedestrians.

“This proposed car park would alleviate these problems and make the village a safer place.”

However another resident Alan Goodman who lives on St Peters Road near the entrance to the car said the junction was already dangerous and difficult to negotiate.

“Vehicles parked in St Peters Road on the nearside exit from the village cannot turn left into Bramble bank without crossing onto the other side of the road,” he said.

“Vehicles parked on the nearside of St Peters Road on the entrance to the village are often parked from the top of the hill to the double yellow lines just prior to the junction at Bramblebank invariably causing traffic chaos.

“The downstream traffic can only pass on the wrong side of the road and the upstream traffic must wait to let it pass. If more traffic attempts to turn right into Bramblebank upstream traffic will find it a nightmare.”

Falmouth Packet: The village has been plagued by parking problems in recent yearsThe village has been plagued by parking problems in recent years (Image: Paul Armstrong)

He said the scheme would inevitably exacerbate risk of accident and inhibit traffic flow. He also said there is no evidence that the scheme would reduce traffic congestion and it would actually exacerbate it.

Flushing hit the headlines back in 2021 when the design of the car park was put on public display after it was claimed that a holiday firm operating holiday homes promoted the village for its free parking.