LONG stay car parking charges and season tickets are set to increase in town centre car parks in Tavistock and Okehampton next April to encourage people to park in peripheral car parks.

But West Devon Borough Council's environment and community committee decided last week that charges for stays up to two hours will remain the same as they have been for the past four years in the town centres.

Season ticket holders parking in Tavistock town centre will face a £120 increase a year but there will be a reduction in charges at the town's Riverside Car Park and Mill Road Car Park in Okehampton by £55 a year.

Car parks in Chagford and Hatherleigh will also see a £20 decrease.

A three-hour stay in the town centres will increase by 20p to £2.20 and four-hour and all-day charges will increase by 50p to £3.50 and £6.50 respectively. Two-hour and all day charges in the other car parks will also increase by 20p.

The recommendation to the committee was made by the West Devon Car Parking Strategy Group and is expected to generate approximately £41,000 additional pay and display income and season ticket income of roughly £3,000 a year for the next two years.

It was felt the proposals would result in an improved turnover of shorter stay car parking in the town centres with season ticket holders and long stay shoppers encouraged to use the sites further away.

Borough councillor for Tavistock Debo Sellis, who is a member of the environment and community committee, said: 'In essence what we have tried to do is to keep the centre of town as buoyant as possible for commerce with minimum increases to short stay charges for people who just want to nip in and do their shopping and that's all.

'We have also considered the workers in the area and are mindful that a lot of people are on the minimum wage. If they have to pay daily parking fees we do not want to cripple them and so are offering them good value season tickets.'

Chairman of the Tavistock Parking Focus Group town councillor John Sellis said any increase in parking charges had to be frowned upon in the current financial climate but he appreciated that car parks had to be maintained and considered that the borough council had come up with a reasonable balance.

He said the parking group was due to meet to discuss parking as a whole in Tavistock, including the controversial issue of whether on-street car parking fees should be introduced in the town centre.

Cllr John Young from Okehampton said it was 'regrettable' that there had to be any rise in charges but car park revenue had gone down slightly and so some fees had to rise.

'A lot of thought goes into these decisions and I am pleased to say that in order to assist with the on-road parking problem in Hatherleigh and Chagford it is still very cheap to park in these places.'