A Cornwall Council Cabinet member has apologised for councillors not being told about plans to introduce parking charges at a popular beauty spot.

Almost 9,000 people have signed a petition objecting to plans to start charging to park at Tehidy Country Park and Cornwall councillors in the area said they had been surprised to hear about the plans from members of the public.

However, while Philip Desmonde, Cabinet member for transport, said he was surprised that the charging plans had been made public he confirmed that they were being considered by the council.

Signs appeared at the site last week and Cornwall Council has indicated that there are plans to also introduce charges at Ponsandane, Penzance; Gwithian Towans; and Permarin in Penryn.

Sally Anne Weedon, Cornwall councillor for Four Lanes, Beacon and Troon, asked Philip Desmonde, Cabinet member for transport to clarify the issue.

At Tuesday's full council meeting she said: "I was made aware at the weekend by a lot of residents that the car parks at Tehidy are to be closed and made chargeable to the public. I wasn't aware of this and it came as a bit of a shock to me. Can you confirm this will be reconsidered?"

Cllr Desmonde responded saying: "I wasn't aware of the consultation that has been issued being promulgated as it was on the issues of the car parking charges at Tehidy Country Park – there is no intention to close the car parks whatsoever.

"But there is a proposal in principle at least that there should be some means of recovering some of the costs that we require to help fund the maintenance, management and safety issues around the use of the country parks.

"I support that in principle, but not the mechanism by which it has been promulgated, as I say. I was completely taken by surprise and it was another member of a parish council who first brought it to my attention and so Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday has been pretty hectic for me with a huge number of calls, emails and objections. I am looking into this matter and will be reporting back as soon as possible.

"I want to express my apology to all those members who did not have forewarning of this and in that regard I consider the protocol of not being taken by surprise as not been properly followed through and I have made representations about that."

The council has a no surprises policy which states that elected councillors should be kept aware of issues and decisions which are being made regarding the residents and areas they represent.

Following Cllr Desmonde's response Cllr Weedon said that she was concerned about the impact parking charges could have on visitors to the woodland.

She said: "It is the families who don't have many free days out in my ward, it's a very poor area, and I wouldn't like to see it made chargeable for these families."

Mimmy Hardman, a local mum-of-three, worked out that if the parking charges are implemented, she will have to spend £15 a week to go to Tehidy woods.

She said: "We use the woods for exercise and educational purposes. We spend hours down the woods. These places are absolutely crucial now more than ever. We need these free, safe spaces to take our children. 'I can't afford to go to the woods' are words that should never come out of anyone's mouth.

"It's a really magical place for them, they spend hours there. To have to sit there watching the clock instead of watching them is heartbreaking. It's all about their memories. This is where they learn, this is where they grow and it needs to stay that way."

Mimmy said the plans would also have a knock-on effect on childminders and activity groups that use the woods.

"This would have an effect on generations going forward as well," she said. "Once the parking meters are in, the parking meters are in."

The petition against the charges can be found here.

Don't forget to sign up for our newsletter below to get the top 10 Falmouth stories of the week delivered straight to your inbox every Friday! No click-bait. No intrusive ads. Just news about Falmouth.

[H3] See the latest news on our Twitter and Facebook pages. [.H2]