THERE was a call from a frustrated Tavistock resident this week for parking permits to be introduced for Heritage Park.

It is believed permits would help alleviate the growing parking problems in the adjacent Parkwood Road.

One resident claims the problem has been exacerbated by a lack of foresight by local authority planners over the number of car spaces it allocates to new housing developments.

Double yellow lines are now being proposed in the Heritage Park development, in order to prevent obstructive parking.

Parkwood Road resident Paul Williamson said that when planning permission was granted to developers Cavannah Homes for Heritage Park by West Devon Borough Council, each property was allocated one parking space per household and a few extra spaces for 'visitors'.

But with the development including two and three bedroom family homes he feels it should have been foreseen by planners that some households would have two or more cars.

Mr Williamson said: 'The present issue of parking in Heritage Park has been of the planners' making by not "rationing" car parking to householders at the outset.

'The imposition of a "no waiting at any time" restriction may well be necessary to ensure that service and emergency vehicles can access Heritage Park.'

Mr Williamson added that with 40 on-street parking spaces in Parkwood Road that if a restriction is introduced in Heritage Park then it should not affect the availability of on-street parking for people who live in Parkwood Road.

He said: 'Many who live in the Bedford Cottages, Edmund Park and Parkwood Road rely on on-street parking at night to park their cars. In the daytime these spaces are mostly used by traders and workers in Tavistock who park all day in unrestricted spaces. Therefore, the on-street parking in Parkwood Road is already fully used by those who do not live in Heritage Park.

'We think it would be sensible as a first step to issue permits for parking in Heritage Park and so establish exactly who requires parking in this area.

'There may well be a need to control parking in Heritage Park. However, simply imposing a restriction on waiting is a crude approach that will not deal with the core issue, it will merely displace it elsewhere and "beggar" near neighbours who need parking for themselves.'

On the planning issue West Devon Borough Council said: 'The council works within national planning guidelines when dealing with parking provision for new developments.

'When assessing parking standards for new residential development, local planning authorities must take into account the accessibility of the development and the availability of, and the opportunity for, public transport.

'It is also worth noting that planning authorities cannot impose conditions to restrict the number of cars a householder can own.'

Devon County Council spokesman said: 'A public exhibition and online consultation on traffic issues in Tavistock was held by the Tavistock Traffic Management Partnership in October, in order to inform the development of a traffic management plan.

'Obstructive parking was highlighted as a major problem in a number of areas, with 87% in favour of a traffic regulation order to tackle the problem.

'A Traffic Order is currently being advertised for Tavistock, which includes proposals for double yellow lines in Heritage Park, in order to prevent obstructive parking.

'Residents have until April 6 to comment on the proposed order.'