A NUMBER of vanlifers living at a Newquay car park who were served with eviction notices remain in defiance of the council’s enforcement.

Officers working on behalf of Cornwall Council served notice to the occupants of 31 vans at Towan Headland car park on Wednesday, July 15 to vacate the site by Friday (July 17) at 4pm.

Representatives from the council can now attend Truro Magistrates Court to get the right to remove the remaining vehicles flouting the direction to leave.

The council has taken action following a number of residents complaining vanlifers annually turn the car park into a campsite during the summer with loud music playing into the early hours. There have also been complaints people living in their vehicles have taken up parking spaces without paying for weeks on end after covering their registration plates.

Newquay Town Council closed the Towan Headland public toilets following reports of antisocial behaviour from some of the vanlifers, which has led to human waste being left in the car park. Residents have also reported they feel intimidated about visiting the beauty spot due to aggressive behaviour of some of the people living in their vehicles there. Vanlifers have also reported they have faced harassment and “antisocial activities” from people opposed to them being there.

There are concerns the car park is being cleared of vanlifer vehicles for the income received from surf village traders parking there during Boardmasters and that the problem will return once the surf and music festival is over. Some residents would like to see the situation resolved once and for all. There are suggestions a height barrier should be installed to stop the vans from being able to enter the car park.

Mayor Drew Creek has reiterated his call for Cornwall Council to create a ‘meanwhile site’ in Newquay for vanlifers.

Meanwhile sites in Bristol provide temporary pitches on council-owned land for vehicle dwellers, offering a “safer, managed space” with basic facilities including water, sewage and rubbish as an alternative to roadside living.

Cllr Creek has also reiterated his offer of Newquay Town Council taking over the management of Towan Headland car park to help resolve the vanlifer issues there.

He said: “It's right that van dwellers shouldn't be camping in Towan Headland car park as it is costing taxpayers significant amounts of money, and the associated antisocial behaviour we have seen there just isn't acceptable, albeit of a small few, leading to the closure of the toilets.

“This is an issue of lack of affordable housing caused by decades of council house sell off and not providing truly affordable accommodation. We should be building properly affordable council housing, in my opinion it's that simple, though this clearly would take time.

“I have been calling on Cornwall Council officers and the Lib Dem administration to provide 'meanwhile sites' which would provide safe, secure areas for vehicle dwellers to reside with essential services such as water, waste services and a secure environment, saving van dwellers from the harassment and antisocial activities they face on the roadside or at car parks. It's a societal problem and we should treat it as such.

“I was encouraged this week to hear that Cornwall Council will be working with communities to survey the numbers of vehicle dwellers across the Duchy, and presumably this is a first step to providing what I have been calling for, just like they do in places like Bristol.

“Whilst the site is being cleared of vehicle dwellers, I understand, this will not solve the issue without proper robust enforcement, which hasn't previously been the case, and I repeat my offer to Cornwall Council administration to hand the car park to Newquay Town Council who could properly manage this site for public benefit.”

Cornwall Council has been contacted for comment.