A NEW parking management scheme for Chagford was given the green light by councillors at a meeting in Okehampton last Friday. West Devon?s highways and traffic orders committee (HATOC) agreed the £15,000 scheme, which includes a two-hour parking restriction in the town centre. Senior traffic engineering Paul Marshall told the committee the county had gone to great lengths to consult residents and the business community about the scheme, which, given the fact there was greater demand for parking than the available highways space, made it difficult to please everyone. Mr Marshall said: ?This certainly wasn?t a case of trying to forward a county scheme and sell it ? it was very much formed in partnership with the community. ?Everyone was invited to attend the exhibition ? residents, traders and visitors ? anybody who happened to be in Chagford on the day was involved and put forward their views.? The two-hour waiting restriction will apply between the hours of 9am and 5pm, Mondays to Saturdays, in the town centre. There will be designated spaces in the Square and Mill Street for loading and unloading, plus parking for two post office vehicles outside the Post Office. The two disabled parking spaces in the Square will be increased to four and the bus stop in the Square and near the primary school will be protected by a bus stop clearway. Mr Marshall said following discussions with the Department of Transport, the council had successfully negotiated a ?drastic reduction? in the number of regulatory signs required for the scheme, to lessen the environmental impact on the town. Cllr Peter Hall congratulated the officers on the production of a ?very difficult? traffic project. He said Chagford had faced traffic problems for some 35 years, with a high volume of cars and limited street parking. He asked if there would be a review of the scheme after a period of time, to check it was working. ?You don?t really know what it?s going to taste like until you take a bite,? he said. Mr Marshall said it would be ?unusual? to change a scheme after such extensive consultation ? but any need for change would be referred back to the HATOC. The scheme will now be advertised and is likely to be implemented after a three-week consultation period. Chagford Business Association chairman Chris Webber last week criticised the scheme, saying he was doubtful it would help the parking situation in the town.
