A PROPOSAL to charge Tavistock?s market traders £10 a day to park in Market Road was amended this week after stall owners reacted angrily to the idea.
The town council slashed the proposed charge in half following criticism from the traders.
The original proposal came at a meeting of the council?s properties committee last week, following changes in parking arrangements around the market precinct.
It had been suggested up to ten spaces be reserved for traders on Market Road to compensate for the loss of parking due to the development of the east end of the market.
Mike Seymour, who runs Novex Fixings in the market, said he would consider ?pulling out? if the £10 fee ? to be paid three months in advance ?got the go-ahead.
He said: ?Either the councillors are very naive, very stupid or totally oblivious to what goes on in here.
?When you run a stall you have to keep topping up what you sell. How are we expected to bring our wares in and out without being able to park?
?It costs £1.50 to park just outside at the moment. At £10 a day that would be an extra £40 a week to park in Market Road. Where?s that money going to come from??
Another stall owner, Jenny Elesmore, branded the idea as ?absolutely ridiculous?.
She said: ?If you are a one-person trader, and you have to return to your car to get more stock, you would have to leave your stall unmanned.
?You would run the risk of losing a lot of stock in the time it takes to walk to the Riverside car park and back, for instance.?
Tony Edmonds said he would take his CD and video stall elsewhere if the charge was introduced.
At Tuesday?s full council meeting, Cllr Mandy Govier said the £10 charge would drive traders away, and suggested a fee of £2.50 instead.
She said: ?We know from other markets that we are very fortunate to have a successful market when others are struggling. Why, therefore, are we trying to antagonise the traders by charging £10 per day, payable three months in advance, for parking spaces?
?Can we afford to lose these traders from our market? I strongly feel that the answer is no.?
Cllr Robin Pike recommend a reduction to £5 a day instead of £10.
But Cllr Brian Trew said: ?There?s no way we can provide enough spaces for everyone who wants them. Some traders will definitely need to be close to the market and others will not.
?I don?t think it?s necessarily inappropriate to charge £10 for a space that?s close to your stall.?
Mayor Norma Woodcock was opposed to the idea of losing up to ten spaces in Market Road which could be used by shoppers. It would not be a ?hardship? for traders to park in the perimeter car park instead.
?If we have traders parking there [Market Road], it means their customers aren?t parking there and neither are the customers of the shops.?
Cllr Ted Sherrell, who originally proposed the £10 charge, said: ?With hindsight I think £10 a day was a little bit steep.? A more suitable amount might be £5 a day, he said.
It was decided the town clerk would consult with the market traders to gauge their opinions on a potential £5 charge for leaving their vehicles in the specially reserved spaces.