The Cornish Times received an email from Tonny Steenhagen, Millbrook, it said:

"While visiting Sharrow car park in Whitsand Bay the other day I was dismayed to see the familiar Cornwall Council parking signs gone. 

"They have been replaced by corporate new signage and paying machines from a company all the way from Birmingham! 

"I know life is not static and things change but over-commercialisation combined with external parties continuing to take chunks out of the Peninsula means it sadly looks like the “Forgotten Corner of Cornwall” days are nearly over. Are we finally catching up with the rest of Cornwall? Is this good news? Is this  progress? 

"From second home owners who are hardly here and/or rent their property out  at top rates, to over-commercialisation of chalets on the cliffs - again at top rates, to Evolving Places from East Sussex taking over half of Maker, to work done at Whitsand Bay Holiday Park,  both with questions to answer regarding planning, to an ‘emerging strategy’ to commercialise Mount Edgcumbe Park even more, to now farming a local car park out to a company in Birmingham; it sadly seems clear where the direction of travel is taking us all... 

"Of course it is the landowners’ prerogative to make these decisions and I guess all this is demonstrating a good sense of business? But at what local expense? Or maybe these are the unavoidable consequence when ‘small state, big society’ lacks a moral/ethical compass?? 

"You may ask: what’s the problem at Sharrow? Well...revenue that stayed local (Cornwall Council) is now disappearing to a Ltd company in Birmingham. Plus gone are the free hours after 5pm and the free winter period; both welcomed by mainly local users of this car park. 

"I - together with others - have been trying to get the  “let’s protect what we have - once it’s gone, it’s gone” message  across ever since getting involved with the ‘Stop Dumping in Whitsand Bay’ and ‘Stop Development at Maker’ campaigns and for instance through voicing strong concerns about inappropriate development at Rame.  Ongoing commercialisation  is apparently in the works for Mount Edgcumbe. And now this; in my view an unnecessary and unethical parking solution for Sharrow. 

"At times like this it does starts to feel like a fight against a tidal wave. Or maybe I am starting to get out of touch with progress, or maybe I’m just starting to get too old. 

"Whatever it may be, I, for one, will NOT be paying a penny to JUST PARK in Birmingham!"