MANY businesses in Tavistock claim their trade is being ?crippled? by the loss of almost half the town?s car parking spaces for a week to accommodate the annual funfair. Shopkeeper Dave McDowell said the fairground, which takes over the Bedford and the Wharf Car Park in Goose Fair week, was the ?biggest disservice to traders? and he is calling for changes to be made. Owner of The Wharf entertainment centre Margaret Hurdwell said she would be quite happy if the fair was to go. And Tavistock Chamber of Commerce is asking for an alternative location or a reduction in the number of the days the fair is held in Tavistock. Mr McDowell, from Kountry Kit in West Street, said what the shops lost in trade should be taken off the business rates: ?The closure of the car park for seven days basically kills off the trade for a week. ?The borough council, which owns the car park, may not be losing any money because of what it gains from the event but the town is losing out as a whole.? Nigel Eadie from the Original Pasty House said he was not against Goose Fair but it was a one-day event and closing the car park for a week for the event was detrimental to the town. He said: ?Local people will not come into town because of the parking difficulties, and people who come to the fair mostly come in the evening when the shops are closed. ?Goose Fair is a positive thing for the town but we must make sure the funfair does not dominate too much.? Managing director of the Wharf Margaret Hurdwell said staff had physically to remove the barriers so they could gain access to work: ?The whole area is taken over by the fair and we had to okay it with the showmen before we could get in. ?This is rather an insult to us when we run a business here all year round.? Takings for the week were halved and the coffee shop was particularly badly hit: ?We are trying to run a theatre and a cinema here with no vehicle access. I have nothing against the showmen, they are nice people, but I would jump for joy if the fair was not here.? Mrs Hurdwell said the funfair should be located out of town: ?I lived in Henley for years and the funfair is always held out of the town when the regatta is on and lots of people still come to the event. ?Unfortunately, the fair is crippling our trade for a whole week and that has a significant effect on our business.? But Robert Creber of Crebers said he felt traders were being negative: ?It is one week in the year and a tradition which has put Tavistock on the map. ?Sometimes you have to make sacrifices and we have so much going for us in Tavistock that I feel we should accept the fair being here for a week.? It has been suggested that the fair be relocated to The Meadows or Crowndale, but town and borough council officials say they would be concerned about the effect on the grass. Facilities contract manager Cathy Oberton said some businesses reported the best day?s trading they had all year on Goose Fair day: ?This is the first year we have heard anything from traders about the length of time the fair is in town.? She said no official request had been received yet but if it was it would be discussed by the council?s environment and community committee: ?Depending on what the members decide, negotiations would then have to take place with the showmen.? Tavistock town clerk Roger Howard said his feeling was that if the showmen could not have the Bedford car park for a week the funfair would disappear and Goose Fair would not be the same: ?This is the only big entertainment fair we have all year,? he said.
