UK's most expensive parking space outside London sells for £45,000

The plot of tarmac in middle class seaside resort St Ives is tucked away in a small car park on top of a hill which overlooks the celebrated Porthminster Beach - Miller Countrywide/Solent News & Photo Agency 
The plot of tarmac in middle class seaside resort St Ives is tucked away in a small car park on top of a hill which overlooks the celebrated Porthminster Beach - Miller Countrywide/Solent News & Photo Agency

A car parking space has sold in Cornwall for £45,000 - believed to be one of the largest amounts a plot outside of London has ever sold for.

The space is an unremarkable patch of tarmac in a car park and sits on a hill half a mile from the beachfront, overlooking the sea.

As well as being the most expensive away from the capital, it is also thought to be the most pricey outdoor car parking space in the UK.

Two years ago, an underground car parking space sold in Knightsbridge for £155,000 and earlier this year, another gated space in the same block went on sale for £350,000.

The spaces are presumably intended for supercars as they are caged and guarded by 24 hour personnel and CCTV to deter thieves.

In comparison the space in Cornwall, however, has no security features to boast of.

The excessive price came as demand for car parking shot up since the G7 summit began last week and holiday-makers have flocked to the area during the recent sunny weather.

The advert for the space said simply: "A parking space for one vehicle. Situated in town close to local amenities. A good size with easy access.

"Located on Porthminster Terrace in a location close to the town. "

The spot (to the left of the car) sold for £45,000 - Miller Countrywide/Solent News & Photo Agency 
The spot (to the left of the car) sold for £45,000 - Miller Countrywide/Solent News & Photo Agency

A spokesman for the estate agent, Miller Countrywide said of the G7 summit: "It has put us in the spotlight. It's definitely a factor, it has put us on the map.”

He went on to say that the pandemic played a part in driving up demand for car parking spaces in the area. He said: "A lot of it is down to Covid as well. Parking is a real issue in St Ives."

The Summit officially began on Friday and concluded on Sunday, with world leaders of various countries descending upon the British town days before.

American President Joe Biden arrived via plane before a 17-strong motorcade, including a bullet-proof limo and four-by-fours carrying security took him and wife Jill to Tregenna Castle Hotel.