AN APPLICATION for Sainsbury’s car park in Bude to have an automatic number plate recognition camera installed has been withdrawn until further notice.

The store, located on Crooklets Road in Bude, submitted an application to Cornwall Council’s planning committee for the installation of an automatic number plate recognition camera, pole and associated signage in their car park. This was dashed by local residents in the area, with concerns over the neighbouring development — Atlantic Rise — and its residents suffering as a result of the camera.

The residents of Atlantic Rise, developed by Pegasus Life, which also happens to own part of the store’s car park, have legal right of way to access the car park to reach their assigned parking spaces.

The application, submitted at the end of March, brought out some heightened concerns when it was thought that neighbouring residents to the store would be caught out by the proposed camera, and ultimately, fined for stopping at their assigned parking facilities.

One local gentleman submitted his comments to Cornwall Council’s planning page under the application. He said that he is very concerned about the application, and that it is ‘not accurate’. He said: “No mention is made of the fact that part of the car park is in fact owned by Pegasus Life, and to our knowledge they have not been consulted before the application has been submitted.

“We have a legal right of way along the road concerned, so our cars, our visitors’ cars, any delivery vehicles, etc. driving to our car park will constantly be monitored and fined. This is totally unacceptable.”

Another resident thought the application was ‘fundamentally flawed’. She said: “It has not taken into consideration the apartment block, Atlantic Rise, situated at the end of the entrance road into the car park.

“There are 28 apartments at Atlantic Rise and the owners have right of access down the entrance road to their own car park situated at the end. Although it may be possible for the camera to recognise the owners’ car registrations, it would not be able to accommodate the numbers of vehicles of their many visitors, deliveries and workers — many of whom would be caught by the ‘no return within two hours’ rule, as well as the 1.5-hour parking limit.”

She added: “Atlantic Rise developers, Pegasus Life, own part of the Sainsbury’s car park and there are very complicated issues relating to parking rights on the site, which, I understand, are being investigated at the moment as the Atlantic Rise owners would like to use some of this land unhindered for their visitors’ use, but, negotiations on this matter are going to be complicated and drawn out. Until rights over ownership and parking are agreed, I am of the opinion that the application should either be withdrawn or refused.”

The camera would be part of a scheme to ‘ensure that existing parking restrictions in place at the car park are adhered to and that the terms and conditions are communicated clearly to those parking there’.

According to Sainsbury’s application statement submitted previously, the existing store car park operates as a parking facility that offers 90 minutes of free stay for customers, which would ‘continue with the proposal but will allow appropriate enforcement to take place’.

The ANPR camera would have recorded the registration details of each car entering and exiting the store’s car park, monitoring if they have exceeded the permitted free stay. Should a vehicle exceed this maximum time, an initial warning notice would be issued to the vehicle owner, prior to ‘commen cing enforcement with parking charge notices’.

It was also noted in the statement that the pole on which the camera would be located would be a similar height to the surrounding lighting facilities, and would ‘not harm the appearance of the wider street scene’.

Planning documents state the camera would have ensured parking regulations are being met and enforced these regulations ‘more effectively’.

The application has since been withdrawn. The withdrawal was issued on Thursday, April 20.

However, Sainsbury’s have gone back to the drawing board to consider some changes to be made to a future application. A spokesperson for Sainsbury’s told the Post: “Following discussion with the council, we have withdrawn our application while we make some changes. We will resubmit a revised application in the near future.”