I WRITE to register my strong objection to the siting of parking meters in Tavistock.

I, and I am sure many others, value our unique market town. However, it would seem a small minority are hell-bent on ruining it. Sadly, these people have the clout to foist whatever they want upon the rest of us. What has happened to plain common-sense?

On the one hand, considerable sums of money are being spent on BID in an attempt to increase footfall in the town, when on the other hand plans to bulldoze through a policy to keep people away from the town are in full swing.

I recently purchased an electrical item in Tavistock, despite being advised that the same product was available on-line for ten pounds less with free delivery.

I was happy to pay over the odds in order to help preserve our shops and support the town. However, I will shop on-line if the parking meters come to fruition as I will have to accept that my contribution to maintaining the viability of Tavistock is in vain.

A copy of this letter has been forwarded to the County Solicitor and I sincerely hope that enough outrage can be generated by those who care about our town to squash these proposals right now.

Angela Lord

Walkhampton Road Horrabridge

I AM not sure what to make of our county councillor's published response (Letters, July 21) to the fresh furore occasioned by publication of the Devon County Council (Traffic Regulations and Parking Places) Amendment Order 2011 (DCC(TR&O-SPP)AO 2011 to its friends).

On the face of it, the Amendment Order does little more than add words like ' . . . or without having made the appropriate payment by means of a mobile phone or device if required' to its parent Order (the Devon County Council (Traffic Regulations and Parking Places) Order 2010 (hereinafter referred to as DCC(TR&O-SPP)O 2010); as such it is hard to find cogent grounds for objection to the Amendment Order per se.

So far, so good. All that nevertheless begs the question of what (if any) new powers to exact tribute from motorists are contained in DCC(TR&O-SPP)O 2010, which runs to over 1,200 pages and requires a great deal of tedious cross-referencing to interpret definitively.

What I think most of us want from our county councillor are two simple and explicit assurances: first, that DCC(TR&O-SPP)O 2010 conferred no powers for Devon County Council to introduce charges for on-street parking anywhere in Tavistock at any future time without a further substantive Order and second, that she will vigorously oppose any such further Order should one be laid during her remaining term of office.

Given that the effect of on-street pay-parking will be felt as much by residents of Tavistock's catchment as by Tavistock's residents themselves, county councillors sitting for the other West Devon Divisions (Yelverton, Okehampton and Hatherleigh and Chagford) may feel that they, too, have a duty to defend their constituents against such mean-minded, greedy schemes.

Roger W Mathew

Down Road

Tavistock