A SCHEME to create more than 100 desperately needed car parking spaces in Tavistock was shelved during a meeting in the town on Tuesday. The council's properties committee agreed that the project, to create a formal car park on un-made land it owns in Pixon Lane, should be 'put in the bottom of the filing cabinet' — despite investigations into its feasibility. The committee has already been told old mine workings in the area posed no risk to creating the car park on land currently used by cattle market lorries and leased to auctioneers Ward and Chowen. Members heard there were two options — to create 109 spaces or 213 spaces on the land. Full utilisation of 109 spaces could give the council an income of more than £42,000 a year, although it would cost around £140,000 to create the car park. Anything over 25% usage of the car park at £1.50 per day would bring in a 'profit' to the council. Cllr Ted Sherrell said he was 'bemused' by the suggested scheme, as he did not feel the council had even agreed to go ahead with the project. Cllr Brian Trew said if people could be persuaded to use the proposed car park it would relieve pressure on the town centre — but he had doubts regarding the figures. 'There's going to have to be management and policing of it, there will be maintenance costs which all have to be put into the equation — these are figures pulled out of the air and it's meaningless unless we know we are going to fill that many spaces,' he said. Cllr Norma Woodcock said residential roads around the town were 'blocked up' with cars parked by people working in Tavistock and there was a need to create some sort of weekly parking facility. Mayor Cllr Caroline Keane said she felt the council should be looking at alternative forms of transport. 'We need to be putting pressure on the bus and train companies to find alternative ways,' she said. But deputy mayor Cllr Anne Johnson said car parking in Tavistock was at a premium and was 'a huge issue' for the town. 'I wouldn't wish for this plan to be put back into the filing cabinet until next year — I think we need to look at this now,' she said. And Cllr Mandy Govier said although she had mixed feelings about the Pixon Lane scheme, the town council was supposed to be working with the borough and county council to find a solution to the town's parking problems. 'Fundamentally I think it would be a retrograde step to put this back in the filing cabinet and I don't think I can support this way of working.' The committee agreed to Cllr Robin Pike's proposal that the project be shelved until the council's budget setting process at the end of the year.
