THURLESTONE Sands car park is up for sale. But a covenant on the land prevents it being built on.

The car park, situated a few hundred metres above Thurles-tone Golf Club and leading down to Thurlestone Sands, has been regularly used by people wishing to walk or exercise their dogs on the beach or to watch the birds that use the uplift created by the cliff. Now it is up for sale by the owner.

When South Hams Newspapers broke the news on Facebook this week, most people were worried that it would be developed.

Photographer Martyn Norsworthy said: 'Not another place about to be spoilt!' and Scot Baston added: 'That land would be worth a fortune if you could get planning permission. Awesome location.'

The owners for more than 30 years, Vic and Margaret Moore, however, are selling it as a car park – with the existing covenant that prevents development – and they say it will be 'business as usual'.

When asked why they were selling, Vic laughed: 'Old age, basically,' he said. 'We're just cashing in our chips and selling off a few businesses'.

He continued: 'It's a lovely spot, it's easy to run and ticks over by itself. We just keep it tidy and up to scratch.

'It's a lovely job for someone, to be sat in the sun. There are worse places to work!'

What will be reassuring to local residents is the fact that Vic says they have already had an offer, from someone who lived nearby who wanted to close it because 'they didn't like looking at cars'.

Vic said he laughed at them.

He said: 'You hear of people buying houses next to farms and then getting them closed because they don't like them, or complaining about bell ringing after buying a house next to a church, but I have no truck with any of that.

'It has been a car park long before we had it, and will still be way into the future'.

The car park has seen a few TV adverts made and parts of the Poirot film Under the Sun was filmed there, with the 'body' being discovered in one of the caves on the beach.

A German film crew who shot there ended up having to be rescued when they forgot the tide and nearly had all their equipment and vehicles washed into the English Channel.

Vic paid tribute to the staff that have helped to run the car park through the years, calling them 'marvellous and brilliant people' and said they could 'never have done it if it wasn't for them'.

A representative of Marchand Petit, the estate agents dealing with the sale, explained the covenant: 'It states that the purchasers can not 'build or permit to be built, any building, wall or structure apart except boundary fencing' and that it cannot be used for any purpose except 'open space or car park' and the owners must not permit anything that would cause 'excessive noise or disturbance.'

Vic says he's in no rush to sell the car park and it will continue to run as normal during that time.

To contact Marchand Petit about the sale, you can call on 01548 233100.