Tavistock’s town centre campaign to Stop the Meters has reached a critical moment this week as Devon County Councillors prepare to meet to discuss findings of the public consultation which took place over Christmas.
Tavistock BID, Tavistock Town Council, West Devon Borough Council and Tavistock District Chamber of Commerce all stand united against the proposals to introduce parking charges in the majority of the streets in the town centre. The proposals would see the length of stay permitted increased from one-hour to two-hours, with the first hour free. All visitors would require a ticket, irrespective of length of stay, from machines sited in the town centre.
A public meeting is to be held on February 28th as part of the campaign’s plans to keep mounting pressure on DCC to shelve the proposals.
The campaign has also sent letters of representation to all Devon County Councillors, expressing its concern about the impact on-street parking charges would have to the community and to the high street.
Of great concern is that DCC officers, unlike Tavistock BID, have accomplished very little if anything, by way of research or due diligence regarding current conditions in Tavistock town centre in order to justify their proposals. This lack of objective evidence or procedural justification demonstrates a frustrating disregard for the interests of the communities concerned. Two of the stated aims are to reduce congestion and air pollution. Local opinion is quite clearly that these are not problems in the area at all and that even on the busiest days, the High Street is everything one would expect of a healthy, bustling and vibrant small market town with pedestrians and vehicles coming and going in harmony.
A survey conducted by Tavistock BID shows:
The parking spaces in the High Street are used as much by residents of the local villages as by townsfolk and visitors from further afield.
88.8% of drivers currently using high street parking spaces would reduce their visits to town should they be required to obtain a parking ticket or register their vehicle to do so.
Most vehicles are parked for short periods of time, allowing them to be used in an efficient manner with a healthy churn of vehicles. About 32% are parked for less than 10 minutes and 65% for less than 30.
Given the stated attitude of shoppers parking their vehicles and their typical weekly spend, the income of High Street businesses is likely to suffer by as much as 52% if the proposed measures are implemented.
‘STOP THE METERS’ CAMPAIGN ANNOUNCES PUBLIC MEETING AND PROTEST PLANS AS DCC PREPARES TO DISCUSS NEXT MOVES AT CABINET NEXT MONTH
Janna Sanders of Tavistock BID, explained ‘The arguments put forward by Devon County Council simply don’t stack up. 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. We are hopeful that the report coming out of the public consultation will show overwhelmingly that Tavistock does not support these proposals and that the Cabinet will do the right thing and respect the views of the community that they are here to serve. We also have major concerns about our World Heritage status with the imposition of meters. We are the only town in Devon with this status and we need to do everything we can to protect that. Implementing charges for parking in Tavistock will have a hugely detrimental impact on the town centre and will change the way people use it. We cannot afford to let this happen to our wonderfully vibrant and historic town. Easy, accessible parking is key to the survival of the high street.’
A public protest is also planned in Tavistock Town Centre for 9th March alongside a protest with other affected communities at County Hall in Exeter on 13th March.
Campaign Plans:
Public Meeting | 28th February, 2024 | 6PM | The Bedford Hotel, Tavistock
Public Protest | 9th March, 2024 | Time TBC | Bedford Square, Tavistock
Public Protest | 13th March, 2024 | From 9AM | County Hall, Exeter
Further contacts:
Cllr. Steve Hipsey steve.hipsey@tavistock.gov.uk Cllr. Jeff Moody Jeffrey.Moody@swdevon.gov.uk
Tim Randell (Chair of Tavistock & District Chamber of Commerce)
tim.randell@linksmagazines.co.uk
See more at:
www.tavistockbid.co.uk/stop-the-meters-campaign
You can continue to sign the petition online at: https://www.change.org/stop-the-meters #ENDS