Bedford Driving Lessons

A SINGLE car parking space in St Ives could have become one of the most expensive outside London after it sold for almost £60,000. The tiny plot of land in the town’s much-sought-after Downlong area was snapped up by a local resident for almost £20,000 over the asking price following a sealed bid auction. The cost of the space equates to more than three times the average annual salary in St Ives and is around two thirds of the cost of a secure under-cover parking space in London’s most expensive Park Lane area, currently advertised at up to £90,000. The new owner, who is thought to live nearby in Porthmeor Road, clinched the deal after beating offers from around a dozen hopefuls. Jonathan Payne, branch manager at Bradley’s Estate Agents who conducted the sale, said he cannot recall a parking space commanding a higher price. “I don’t know if it is a record but I cannot remember one going for more,” he said. “Spaces are always in short supply in St Ives and even going back years they made a premium price,” he said. “Downlong has been a favoured location for many years – it is a beautiful part of the world and people aspire to live there.” Mr Payne said the high price reflected the chronic lack of car parking in the old part of the town. The plot of land beside the entrance to the council-owned Island car park was sold two weeks ago. It was advertised for £40,000 but eventually changed hands for a figure “in the high fifty-thousands”. More