A CONTROVERSIAL decision to stop issuing parking permits to new residents in Tavistock's Dolvin Road has been rescinded by members of West Devon Borough Council.

A decision made in September by the council's environment committee, was intended to save money and bring the borough's parking systems 'into line'.

Dolvin Road residents were given parking permits in West Devon's car parks in Brook Street and Abbey Bridge after the Tavistock relief road, which included the construction of a new bridge over the Tavy, was opened in 2000.

It meant through traffic from Plymouth to Okehampton used Dolvin Road, instead of Duke Street and Brook Street.

But the proposal was slammed by members at last Tuesday's full council meeting.

Ward member Ted Sherrell, who proposed the motion to rescind, said the decision was 'unfair, unjustified and ill-judged'.

He said the first he knew about it was when he was contacted by a resident, who had received a letter 'out of the blue' from the borough council, with 'no prior consultation whatsoever'.

Cllr Sherrell said the decision in itself was bad enough, but the way it had been done was 'absolutely deplorable' and a 'total contradiction to the ethos of democratic responsibility'.

Cllr Philip Sanders said Dolvin Road should be treated as a separate case from anywhere else in the town, as nowhere else had county-council imposed road changes affected residents as badly as in this location.

He said: 'This council made a commitment to the residents as compensation for having lost the right to park there, and having a quiet road turned into a busy thoroughfare.'

Cllr Sanders said the borough had made the worst public relations error possible in its handling of the situation.

'I just can't believe that a local borough council which prides itself on being in contact with its members, could have made such a, frankly, discourteous and rude decision. I think it's a disgrace,' he said.

But Cllr Margaret Garton, while admitting that the borough had 'red faces' over the way the decision had been handled, proposed an amendment that it be rescinded, pending further discussions with Dolvin Road residents and Tavistock Parking Focus Group, and a report submitted back to the borough.

Cllr Mandy Govier said she was very concerned at the amendment, and was worried the residents of Dolvin Road could be 'out-manoeuvred' in future.

She said West Devon had been 'altruistic' in getting involved with an on-street parking issue and should now think very carefully about its position.

'Our mission statement is customer first — it doesn't seem to be happening in this case,' said Cllr Govier, to a round of applause from Dolvin Road residents in the council chamber.

The council agreed Cllr Garton's amended motion — but the move has left residents upset and frustrated.

One of them, Linda Seeley, told the Times: 'I appreciate the support of councillors Sherrell, Govier and Sanders, and I appreciate there are numerous parking issues throughout the town, but I think the point has been missed, that Dolvin Road is a separate case.

'They took the point that it had been handled diabolically, but we are very disappointed that there is not a final conclusion here.

'It still feels as though they are going to renege on a long-standing agreement and I think we will be looking forward to putting our case very strongly in the future.'