RESIDENTS in Tavistock are furious at a sudden decision to phase out parking permits, a move they fear will devalue their properties.

People living in the town's Dolvin Road have been able to park for free in Abbey or Brook Street car parks since the Tavistock relief road was completed in October 2000. Building the relief road meant residents could no longer park along Dolvin Road and West Devon Borough Council has been issuing permits on an annual basis since then.

But now, the council's environment committee has agreed the system should be phased out, so anyone moving to Dolvin Road will no longer be offered a permit.

The controversial decision has already sparked a move to try and have it rescinded next year.

Resident Julia Whitcomb said she was 'staggered' when she received a letter from the council 'out of the blue'.

'I can't see why they've done it. I don't see that it's saving them any money, I just don't see the purpose of it,' she said.

Mrs Whitcomb said she was concerned the decision could be followed by more changes regarding parking.

'Is there some underlying motive? Will they stop all parking permits? There's nowhere for residents to park here — what worries me is from the selling point of view, it's bound to devalue the house.'

Resident Jane Locke said: 'To take the parking permits away just like that, take it or leave it, is high-handed, it's not democratic.

'I think it's awful. It's obviously money-driven, but the fact we've had no say, we've not been able to debate, there's not been any discussion, it's just wrong.'

Kenneth Trevorrow said: 'I think it's rubbish — we would have liked to have been able to talk to somebody about it, but this is just a fait accompli.'

Another resident, who did not wish to be named, said: 'I am really worried. I moved into Dolvin Road two years ago and would not have considered the street without the availibility of resident parking nearby.'

She said she had contacted a local estate agent, who had told her the move could knock some £20,000 off the value of properties in Dolvin Road.

She said the council estimated that the parking permits had a value of £10,800 — but in reality, many residents only used the parking at night and at weekends. In addition, the move would not save the council money in the short or medium term, as current residents would continue to use the permits.

She said: 'I would also be interested to learn how the decision compounds the council's corporate priorities to "put community first" — as a Dolvin Road resident, I was not consulted as a member of the community likely to be most directly affected by the change and nor, I am sure, were my neighbours.'

Cllr Ted Sherrell, ward member for the area, said: 'The residents of Dolvin Road have every right to be angry and upset at this decision.

'These free parking places were granted to residents as a small measure of redress for the many problems — not least the probability of a drop in value to their properties — caused them by the major change to the traffic flow in Tavistock.

'A previously relatively quiet road became an exceedingly busy one, causing much noise and upon which they were not permitted to park as they had been previously.'

Cllr Sherrell believed the parking permits were to be granted in perpetuity and to renege on this promise was 'indefensible'.

The councillor said he would be calling for the decision to be rescinded, although under the council's standing orders, such a move could not take place for six months.

Helen Dobby, head of environmental services at West Devon Borough Council, said: 'The current residents in Dolvin Road will continue to receive free parking permits for as long as they continue to live there. It was never the intention that the permits should be provided forever and this gradual phasing out of the scheme is the fairest way to bring parking systems in the borough into line.'