PLANS to move the historic war memorial in Tavistock's Guildhall Car Park have been scuppered, now it has been given Listed status. The world war one memorial has been the topic of debate for the past seven years on whether it should be moved to St Eustachius churchyard in Tavistock. The consultation process started in May 2001, after a straw poll at a town meeting showed an overwhelming majority of residents favoured moving the memorial. In favour of the move was Dave McDowell of the Royal Marines Association. He said his colleagues were keen to see the memorial moved to the churchyard. Mr McDowell said many council meetings were held between 1917 and 1921 to establish where the memorial should be sited. The first choice, the churchyard, had to be rejected because not enough money was raised and the Guildhall car park option was chosen because it was cheaper. The memorial was listed by the Department for Culture Media and Sport at Grade II last February, following advice from English Heritage. A spokesperson for English Heritage said war memorials were valued due to their continued relevance to society, acting as a focal point for formal memorial services. She said: 'They are strong reminders of lives lost during the major conflicts of the twentieth century and provide a poignant fingerpost to the impact of war on local communities, for casual passers-by. 'This example in Abbey Place has a simple, elegant design and has strong group value with a number of other listed civic structures such as the adjacent statue of the Duke of Bedford, the magistrates' court, the gatehouse and buildings associated with Tavistock Abbey.' Tavistock town clerk Roger Howard told members of the town council at a recent properties committe meeting that moving the memorial was unlikely to happen now. He said: 'The chance of getting permission to move it now, unless there was going to be a road or something going through the area, are pretty slim. 'If there was a groundswell of opinion who still wanted it, we could look into it, but I think it's going to be almost impossible to move.'