EAST Meon Parish Council has been offered the lease on the Workhouse Lane car park for £1 by it’s owners, the Bereliegh Estate.
East Meon parish councillers heard on January 23 in the church hall that the estate was happy to lease the car park to the council for a ‘peppercorn rent,’ but didn’t want to maintain it, or provide insurance cover for vehicles parked there.
Council chairman Cllr Susan Davenport said she would pass the offer on to East Hampshire District Council (EHDC) who was the leaseholder, but have now declined to renew the lease in an effort to cut overheads.
But she said she didn’t hold out much hope that EHDC would change it’s mind and renew the lease, and all that it entails.
The car park next to the village football and sports pavilion is the only public one in the village and is well used by visitors, walkers setting out for the South Downs, and Clanfield Football Club.
EHDC maintained and insured the car park, but say now it’s upkeep is too expensive, and for the same reasons the parish council is also unwilling to take over the car park
And despite it being well used by walkers visiting the South Downs, South Downs National Park Authority has refused to take it over and look after it.