Tavistock: Parking campaign puts pressure on council

All visitors to Tavistock would require a ticket from the meters

Businesses, politicians and residents are campaigning against the proposed installation of parking meters on streets in Tavistock town centre.

The proposals, by Devon County Council (DCC), suggest the maximum stay be increased from one to two hours, with the first hour free.

All visitors would require a ticket from the meters.

A public meeting is planned for Wednesday to keep pressure on DCC to shelve the proposals, campaigners said.

The Stop the Meters campaign has been backed by Tavistock BID, the town council, West Devon Borough Council and Tavistock District Chamber of Commerce.

Campaigners have written to DCC to express concern about the impact that on-street parking charges would have on the community and the high street.

Campaigners say the meters would have a negative impact

Tavistock BID said DCC had done "very little, if anything, by way of research or due diligence regarding current conditions in Tavistock town centre in order to justify their proposals".

It added: "This lack of objective evidence or procedural justification demonstrates a frustrating disregard for the interests of the communities concerned."

DCC's proposals in Tavistock suggest meters are installed on specified lengths of Brook Street, Duke Street, Plymouth Road, Russell Street and West Street.

Previously, DCC said pay and display parking encouraged the turnover of vehicles and availability of parking spaces, thereby helping to support the use of local shops and businesses.

A spokesperson for DCC said the proposals were set to be discussed on 13 March - and no decisions had yet been made.

The council would also discuss proposals for new parking measures in seven other towns in Devon.

'Blatant disregard'

Tavistock BID said a survey it conducted showed about 88% of drivers using high street parking spaces would reduce their visits to town if they needed to buy a parking ticket or register their vehicle.

Tavistock BID said its survey also showed local business was likely to suffer by as much as 52% if the proposed measures were implemented.

Janna Sanders, from Tavistock BID, said the arguments put forward by DCC "simply don't stack up".

She said: "They have not conducted a single study to determine what the impact could be on our high street. This shows a blatant disregard for the interests of our community."

In December, a public consultation was carried out by DCC on the proposals.

Ms Sanders said she hoped the consultation report would "overwhelmingly" show Tavistock did not support the plans.

A public meeting is due to be held at the Bedford Hotel in Tavistock on Wednesday at 18:00 GMT.