A REPORT containing proposals to build a £100,000 car park on land at Pixon Lane in Tavistock came under fire during West Devon?s environment committee meeting last week. The report contained the recommendations of the Tavistock Parking Focus Group, set up to solve parking problems in the town. The group, comprising members of the town, borough and county council with representation from Tavistock Chamber of Commerce, proposed the new car park be built on town council-owned land in Pixon Lane. It also suggested residents? parking schemes be considered in Bannawell Street, Chapel Street and Parkwood Road and that the county council be asked to consider extending the relief road around the town, via Pixon Lane. David Inman, director of community services, said given car ownership was increasing by 2% each year, something had to be done to increase the number of car parking spaces in the town. He said: ?As officers, we are very keen to see the large area of car park, which is used solely on market days at the moment, actually employed.? Mr Inman said he appreciated the town council owned a valuable piece of land, but given the fact there were problems with old mine workings in the area, he felt a car park could be the best use for it. ?We need to start the dialogue going,? he said, adding the borough could consider a 15-year lease from the town, paying it £1,000 a year in rent. But Cllr Mandy Govier, who is also a member of Tavistock Town Council, said she had ?huge? reservations about the car park issue and said West Devon was being ?morally irresponsible?. ?We should not be almost dictating how another authority and landowner should use their land. The town council doesn?t like the idea, there is a lease on it and there are a lot of businesses that cross that land,? she said. Cllr Dick Eberlie said he was ?very disappointed? by Cllr Govier?s comments. ?I thought the town council was behind its members on the parking focus group,? he said. ?Now a group of councillors has come up with this proposal, I do hope the town council will consider it very seriously.? Cllr Eberlie said he was not sure the town council realised the seriousness of the problem in Tavistock. He said: ?The Government is requiring us to build homes without parking facilities, but we are a town in a very steep valley, there is very little land suitable for parking. ?The town council does own land, it?s sitting on it and not using it. I realise there are mine workings, but it?s well worth considering it and I think the residents of Tavistock would like it used in this way.? Nick Payne, borough head of environmental services, said the report had been produced by a multi-agency group ? all it sought to do was enable officers and members to continue working towards a solution to a problem that was going to be ?a real challenge? in future. And Cllr Roy Connelly said the focus group sought to bring the three authorities together to reach an understanding of what the issues were ? nothing prescriptive was contained in the report, he said. The committee was told the county council would consider the extension of the relief road, but it would need to be included in the local transport plan before anything further could be done. A residents? parking scheme, paid for either by residents themselves or on-street parking charges, would also be investigated, together with a residents? consultation. The committee agreed the recommendations of the focus group, as a means of continuing negotiations with involved authorities regarding parking in Tavistock.