Jubilee Pool in Penzance has refused to cancel a motorist's fine even though its car park operator withdrew it. The well-known tourist attraction was challenged by two visitors who both struggled with confusing signage at St Anthony's car park, which the pool owns but is run by private contractor Parkingeye.
Both holidaymakers, Mark Roe and Thomas Grimer, visited the pool this summer and received letters in the post days later telling them they needed to pay £60 to Parkingeye for overstaying at the car park. The car park signage says "pay on exit" but then operates as a pay-and-display system when motorists go to pay at the end of their stay, as it requires them to enter their number plate, a time of arrival and how many hours they wish to stay.
It was the confusion from the conflicting signage that led both Mr Roe and Mr Grimer to receive penalty charge notices (PCN) when they had paid to park. On both occasions, in June and at the beginning of August, Mr Roe and Mr Grimer contacted Jubilee Pool and Parkingeye to have the PCNs waived. They were both told it would not happen, so they decided to escalate the matter with Parking on Private Land Appeals (POPLA).
Mr Roe has also taken the matter up with Cornwall Council over the legality of the parking signage and automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras at St Anthony's car park. He argues there appears to be no planning application filed with the local authority by either Jubilee Pool or Parkingeye in the past three years, which makes imposing PCNs on people illegal. The cameras and signs have been installed within the past two years. In August, Cornwall Council confirmed it is investigating the matter.
CornwallLive has repeatedly asked Jubilee Pool charity trust and its chief operating officer Giles Gould to show the planning consent it received from Cornwall Council for the signage and ANPR cameras. Mr Gould has previously said the cameras were installed before his time at the pool and that he needed to confer with Parkingeye. A quick search on the council's planning portal shows no such planning application has been filed and no consent has been obtained for signage and pole-mounted ANPR cameras by either Jubilee Pool or Parkingeye. Mr Gould has repeatedly maintained that everything is "legally compliant" at St Anthony's car park.
Mr Grimer told CornwallLive: "Parkingeye has withdrawn my PCN via POPLA. In my view – if the site were compliant, they would have simply fought it." He said, however, that Jubilee Pool trust members, who have the ultimate responsibility for the charge, had 'unanimously' refused to waive the PCN he received, claiming it's all to do with Parkingeye and not them.
In her email
Jubilee Pool Refuses To Cancel Fine After Operator Withdraws