AN £800,000 development of land on Tavistock?s Pixon Lane could be in the pipeline. Members of the town council?s properties committee last week agreed the project should go ahead in principle ? to be funded by a loan. The development would see a new two-storey council works depot building including an office, store, workshop and garaging, two rentable units, 113 car parking spaces and a service road. At present, the land, owned by the town council, is rough and unmade and generally used by cattle lorries from the livestock market. Works superintendent Wayne Southall presented two options to the council. The first option also allowed space for two additional buildings to be built on the land ? buildings which Devon County Council had requested permission to construct, to be used as a youth centre and children?s centre, paying the town council a ?peppercorn? rent for the land. However, construction of these buildings would be at the expense of more car parking spaces. Cllr Mandy Govier, chairman of the properties committee, said: ?One thing we need to realise is the difference between option one and option two. ?If we go with option one, you would lose 42 parking spaces, so you need to do your sums from there.? Cllr Debo Sellis said she did not believe the town should let such valuable land for only a nominal sum. Cllr Anne Johnson, town mayor, said: ?I think if we are going to use this land, any buildings that go on there belonging to another party should be paying a commercial rent.? Cllr Brian Trew said that however many spaces the new car park on Pixon Lane eventually ended up with, the parking fees ought to be cheaper than the neighbouring Riverside car park, as it was further away from the town centre. Cllr Ted Sherrell said: ?I?ve never been keen on a car park in Pixon Lane, but if we are to do it, the only way you are going to get people parking in there is to make it extremely cheap, for example, £1 a day. ?I agree entirely that the works depot should be built there ? much of this seems sound planning.? Town clerk Roger Howard told members that Devon County Council would need to pay at least as much rent as the car parking spaces would have netted the town. ?I don?t believe, on a rough calculation, that option one is financially viable,? he said. Col Howard said the new depot and rental units, which would be suitable for small, starter businesses, would be situated on the left hand side of the site, near the entrance. A service road will be constructed through the site, towards buildings such as the scout hut, King?s and the squash club. Col Howard said: ?The scout hut people and others will have a better life ? instead of bouncing over a rough bit of land they will have a nice smooth, well lit road. ?Actually, at the moment, they don?t even have a legal right to get to their own properties but we will be giving them access rights.? Col Howard said the cattle market lorries would still be able to use the car park for free on market days. The new depot will allow safe storage of the council?s valuable vehicles and will save around £20,000 a year in rent from the present depot, which is too small for the works department?s needs. Councillors unanimously agreed to progress the second option, which allowed the maximum amount of car parking spaces. Pending ratification by the full council at its meeting this week, the clerk and works superintendent will investigate the engagement of an architect to draw up the plans, prior to submitting a planning application. It is envisaged the project will be phased, and probably take up to two years to complete.
