Stop The Meters Campaign

You have until 7th January 2024 to take part in

Devon County Council's Public Consultation on proposals to charge for On-Street parking in Tavistock.

DCC is moving ahead, despite the very clear evidence obtained through the Tavistock BID survey that 88.8% of you would change the way you use the town centre if you needed to pay for on-street parking.

The initial proposal has been amended to now allow 1-hour of free parking (with a ticket), with 1-hour paid. Currently, there is only 1-hour of parking allowed in the town centre. We believe:

This new proposal will affect availability of parking, should visitors decide to stay for 2-hours and contradicts their statement that this scheme will improve availability of short-term parking.
Pay & Display machines will be visible on our streets and visitors will still need to enter their registration to get a ticket, regardless of length of stay. Or use the App. The ease with which you currently use the town centre will change. We believe it has the potential to disenfranchise a large number of people who rely heavily on their visits to the town centre.
Once the machines are here, pay & display is established and the free-period on offer could easily be amended.

CLICK HERE TO HAVE YOUR SAY

This proposal would allow visitors to park on certain town centre streets for a maximum of 2-hours (1 hour free, 1 hour paid), whereas currently parking is limited to 1-hour free of charge. This will reduce the turnover of spaces and the availability of on-street parking and possibly increase the number of vehicles circulating looking for somewhere to park. The likely result is that fewer people will come to the town centre to shop and that support for businesses already impacted by COVID and the cost-of-living crisis will be further reduced.
Charging £1.30 for the second hour is cheaper than in town centre car parks so will not encourage those who want to stay longer into off-street parking. This contradicts the idea that this will improve short-stay availability.
We are Devon's only World Heritage Town and our streetscape is important to our UNESCO listing.

What can you do?

View the plans and proposals for Tavistock here
Ensure you complete the consultation which closes on 7th January 2024.
If you are commenting on behalf of a group, organisation or trader association, please make this clear in your comments.
Share this WIDELY with friends, neighbours, colleagues and anyone who lives or works in or visits Tavistock to take part.

Save our Town Centre from on-street parking charges!

What On-Street Parking Charges would mean for our town..
The possibility of on-street charges is the single biggest threat to the businesses of our town since the advent of out-of-town shopping, further encouraging shoppers away from the high street to supermarkets and centres which have their own free parking. It will also force people more towards online shopping.

Maintaining the status quo of 1-hour free parking is essential in order to support the ongoing vitality of the town centre. Easy, free, on-street parking is one of the reasons local people still use their high street and is one of the main reasons Tavistock continues to survive despite the adversity it has suffered in recent years.

Implementation of charges for on-street parking will jeopardise the survival of many town centre businesses, who are facing very difficult trading conditions in the current economic climate. It will also be detrimental to those the town serves, making Tavistock a less-attractive proposition for their daily needs. Reports have shown that availability and convenience of parking is by far and away the most important factor when choosing where to shop and visit.

Devon County Council says the move would:
• Encourage free movement of traffic and turnover of on street parking to benefit businesses
• Enable enforcement to be undertaken efficiently
• Encourage longer term visitors to use off street car parks
• Encourage those working in the town make more sustainable travel choices eg CarShare, Public Transport, Walking and Cycling

We strongly believe that the current status quo of 1-hour free on the streets in the centre of town already does all of that.

How can you help? It's simple...

1. Like and follow the campaign on Facebook.

2. Make a pledge to our crowdfunder - if you can.

www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/stop-the-meters-tavistock

3. Spread the word. Share our campaign on your social media pages and tell everyone you know to get behind us! The more people we reach, the more support we will get.

4. Sign the petition. https://chng.it/ZV5gMyYdjp

5. Offer rewards. Get involved if you are a local business by donating things we can offer to our supporters. We will give you a shout out!

Why are we asking for help?
The town needs you!
We are asking for help to fund the Stop the Meters campaign because it is hugely important to all of us - locals and visitors - that on-street parking remains free.
Your donation will mean that we can get this campaign off the ground while continuing to meet other obligations to our businesses. Crowdfunding means that funds will not be diverted from existing projects and gives us the best possible chance of creating a campaign that works.

How we will spend the money raised
All funds received will go towards the Stop the Meters campaign. Any funds over the target amount will be ring-fenced and used exclusively for other work carried out by Tavistock BID on behalf and for the benefit of the town centre so that we can all continue to enjoy living in, working in and enjoying Tavistock.

Tavistock Business Improvement District (BID) is a business-led, not-for-profit organisation supported by government legislation which gives businesses the power ‘to raise funds locally to be spent locally’ on improving a defined commercial area.