WEST Devon Borough Council will decide next week whether to officially approve new coach parking in Okehampton, following a petition from people in the town over the scheme.

The petition protesting the formalisation of two coach parking bays in Mill Road Car Park has been signed by 104 people and submitted to the borough council. The group behind the petition state that the coach parking provision is unsuitable for the site, fearing that the car park entrance is not wide enough to ensure safe passage for coaches.

Advocates for the parking bays say they will help boost town tourism and bring more visitors into the town centre, improving trade for businesses.

A decision will be made at Tuesday's community services committee meeting at Kilworthy Park in Tavistock.

The recommendation is to formalise the coach parking and that the Off-Street Parking Places Order be amended accordingly.

Three coach bays were painted in the car park last spring in anticipation of the 2014 summer season. Following trial runs with 12-metre coaches, it was decided that one of the three bays was to be removed, giving larger coaches adequate access to the two remaining bays and providing the town with coach parking, a long standing request from town traders.

Edna Hicks, one of the residents involved with the petition, said: 'We feel that it is dangerous having coach parking in Mill Road due to the entrance of the site. The council says that the business located at the entrance of the car park will no longer park in the entrance — but the nature of their business means they have to load their vans at the car park entrance.

'The borough council argues that Okehampton has wanted coach parking for 15 years, so we wonder why there has been such a rush to get this done. The spaces were painted last year in time for last summer, but it has taken until now for this to come before a committee, so why was it rushed then, and why were the spaces painted already?

'It seems the council has ignored all its own procedures. The spaces have been painted before it went through committees, before the highways authority was contacted, the police weren't contacted. People only knew about this when the lines had been painted down.

'There is a lot of upset in the town over the way it has been done, and it seems like it is an accident waiting to happen.'

The borough council has talked to the business located at the entrance to the car park and arranged alternative parking for its vehicles. Engineers assessed the suitability of the site and a coach driver also worked with the borough council to carry out testing which involved driving onto the site and parking.

Despite the petition, many residents of the town are in support of the coach parking. Okehampton and District Chamber of Trade has campaigned for 15 years to see coach parking return to the town in an effort to bring tourists and visitors in to the town centre.

Donna Tombs, chair of the chamber of trade, said it would be a good thing for the town.

She said: 'It can only be a positive step for Okehampton and should it get formalised we need to publicise it and make the coach companies know that they can park coaches here.

'We also need to make them aware of any restrictions the site may have as it is not the most convenient place to have such parking, but as long as it is marketed properly, we think it can help bring in visitors and more tourist trade into the town.'

West Devon Borough Council was approached for comment, but did not wish to pre-empt any decision made at next week's meeting.

• What are your thoughts on coach parking in Okehampton? Are you for it or do you think that Mill Road is not the answer? Write us a letter to The Ockment Centre, North Street, Okehampton, EX20 1AR or e-mail [email protected]">[email protected]