Finding a parking space in the town centre can be a hassle, but few are prepared to go to the lengths of a St Ives resident who shelled out nigh-on £60k for a guaranteed spot.
The scrap of land in the Downlong area of the Cornish seaside resort was apparently bought in a sealed bid auction after being advertised for a mere £40,000 by Bradley's Estate Agents, according to this is Cornwall.
Said to measure a mere 20ft by 12ft, it is admittedly sizeable for a parking bay - though tiny for a conventional plot of land - and sits at the entrance to the council-owned car park.
The plot, apparently bought by a resident in nearby Porthmeor Road, is believed to be one of the pricier parking spots ever sold outside of central London, and comes in at more than three times the average yearly salary for locals.
Bradley's Estate Agents branch manager Jonathan Payne told this is Cornwall that the stratospheric price was due to the lack of parking in the old part of town.
"Spaces are always in short supply in St Ives and even going back years they made a premium price.
"Downlong has been a favoured location for many years it is a beautiful part of the world and people aspire to live there."
St Ives has seen its population fall by 13% since 2001 - a major reason being that the town contains the largest number of second homes in the county. The issue of extremely expensive houses lying empty for the majority of the year is a perennial talking point for locals - illustrated by a two-bed semi going on the market for £1 million in 2008.
St Ives town councillor and shop owner Colin Nicholls said the parking spot was clearly overpriced, though acknowledged "we are an extremely popular tourist resort which attracts people with money...that's how market forces operate".
However, he added: "I would rather do without a car than pay that kind of money."
