A plan to impose automatic £60 fines on drivers who flout the rules in a private car park at Ilkley Station has run into opposition from councillors.

Ilkley parish councillors are calling on Bradford Council to reject plans by parking management company Parking Eye for automatic number plate recognition cameras at the Station Plaza car park, Railway Road.

One parish councillor accused the management company of treating Ilkley as a ‘cash cow’ for generating money from parking fines.

They fear unsuspecting motorists who use the car park – owned by Retail Plus General Partners Ltd, of Birmingham – to drop off commuters heading for trains, could be hit by fines.

But a surveyor commissioned by Parking Eye over the planning application says there is clear evidence of abuse by visitors to the privately-owned customer-only car park, adjoining the Station Plaza retail units.

Ilkley Parish Council’s plans committee has debated the plan and has recommended the local authority should refuse planning permission.

Parish Councillor, Paul Kitching, said: “On contacting Parking Eye, the councillors were told that the proposed cameras would automatically record car number plates entering and leaving the car park and that the maximum parking time limit would be two hours – and that the fine imposed for exceeding this period would be £60.

“But it also appears that if a vehicle enters the car park, say for a ‘drop-off’ or ‘pick-up’ at the rail station – and no retail purchase is made – the Parking Eye cameras and system will be aware of this fact and promptly generate a whopping £60 parking fine too.”

Parking Eye was not able to respond to requests for comments about the issue.