OUTRAGE that parking meters could be introduced in Tavistock town centre this week erupted, with the publication of a new traffic order by Devon County Council.

The controversial proposal to introduce on-street parking fees was dropped in January, after thousands of people objected and business leaders expressed strong opposition to the idea.

The county backed down in the light of overwhelming criticism of the move, and of the lack of consultation during the process.

But a new traffic order amendment, affecting both Tavistock and Okehampton, is being prepared to 'reflect the introduction of cashless parking by mobile phone or devices at on-street parking places across the county, and pay and display parking where there is a period of free parking available'.

Tavistock town councillor Brian Trew urged members of the public to take action, if they were opposed to the introduction of on-street parking fees.

In a letter to the Times Cllr Trew said: 'It seems this time the feedback to the county will primarily be through county councillors. As this was a Conservative policy to put them in place, with no local Conservative councillor voting against the idea in August last year, I can imagine the result will be that our streets will be blighted.

'If you, like myself, feel the introduction of parking meters is a monstrous intrusion, make your views clearly known to your county councillor in writing. Nothing works better than a sack full of mail lobbying on a single issue.

'The parking meters have already been bought. They were purchased by county, using your money, before the decision was made to implement the use of them.

'Call me cynical, but this has the appearance of arrogance,' he said.

Town and borough councillor Ted Sherrell backed the call to the public to make their views known:?'The battle which prevented this happening before must re-commence, vigorously and urgently.'

Cllr Sherrell said the only local beneficiaries of such a policy would be out of town supermarkets.

'The county council would appear to see parking merely as a source of income and pursue it with no thought for the consequences.

'If such meters are put on to our streets, they will impose extra financial demands on local people, already paying one of the highest levels of council tax in the country,' he said.

At this week's meeting of the town council's finance committee, former town mayor David Whitcomb expressed deep concern at the lack of clarity regarding the situation.

Nigel Eadie, chairman of Tavistock Chamber of Commerce, said: 'I am disappointed that Devon County Council hasn't listened to the huge volume of people in Tavistock who are opposed to any proposals regarding on-street parking charges.

'I thought as a community we had made our feelings very clear and I thought they had listened.

'This makes me suspect that this is a back-door way of introducing something they said they wouldn't do.

'We will fight this strongly to ensure it doesn't happen. It can only be bad for the town and for its businesses, and very bad for the people living in this area.'

But Cllr Debo Sellis, Tavistock's county council representative, insisted that the advertised traffic order amendment was purely 'an administrative process to tidy up the existing order' and to 'facilitate the introduction of pay by phone parking across Devon, at existing sites'.

Cllr Sellis said no new pay and display schemes were being introduced and the order was not linked to traffic management schemes to towns.

Cllr Stuart Hughes, the county's cabinet member for transport, said that in towns where pay and display was advertised last year, the county council's traffic management team would be contacting local county councillors to arrange an initial meeting to discuss responses and determine whether to develop a traffic management plan.

'Following these discussions, a programme can then be developed that takes into account the identified needs of the community and resources available,' he said.

'This could include residents' parking schemes, amendments to parking restrictions, park/pay and display, minor highway improvements to reduce congestion or improve sustainable transport, and larger schemes that fit with longer term Local Transport Plan or are associated with the Local Development Framework.

'I am calling on all Devon county councillors to be "champions" in their local areas to help identify the needs of the community and to work up traffic management plans that meet their needs.'

The draft order can be viewed in Tavistock Library and at http://www.devon.gov.uk/dccparkingtro-july2011.htm">www.devon.gov.uk/dccparkingtro-july2011.htm from now until August 5.

Comments must be made in writing to the County Solicitor, County Hall, Topsham Road, Exeter EX2 4QD or through the website at http://www.devon.gov.uk/traffic-orders">www.devon.gov.uk/traffic-orders by August 5.

Cllr Debo Sellis can be reached at [email protected]">[email protected] or by writing to County?Hall, Exeter.