Drivers in England face new parking rules which 'will further damage town centres'

Drivers face parking fees being hiked in a holiday hotspot for the first time in four years. Motorists and road users are likely to pay extra to use car parks in South Devon after councillors decided to go ahead with a pioneering two-tier charging strategy.

It comes as South Hams Council raises its fees for the first time in four years. Cllr Jonathan Hawkins (Con, Dartmouth and East Dart) told the meeting: “The feedback was that we were alienating visitors and potentially causing further damage to our town centres.”

And Cllr Nicky Hopwood (Con, Woolwell) added: “Why are we hitting on visitors? We need to be encouraging visitors into our towns for the sake of our businesses. And the cost of implementing this, because it is so complicated, is going to outweigh the benefits. We should re-think the whole thing.

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“It is sending out a negative message to tourists, and my concern is that businesses will suffer.” Council leader Julian Brazil (Lib Dem, Stokenham) said: “When people come here they pay hundreds if not thousands of pounds a week to stay in cottages and apartments. We’re asking them to pay 50p.

“I wish we didn’t have to do this, but I think this is the fairest way of doing it, with locals paying a little bit more, and visitors paying a bit more on top of that. It means we protect our locals who are here all year round." The council is expected to make its final decision in January 2025.

Councillor Jonathan Hawkins explained that feedback has been mixed with some residents warning the charges could potentially cause ”further damage to our town centres”. The hike would affect all council-owned car parks across the South Hams area, although the council did state it would still be less than parking charges at similar tourist areas across Devon and Cornwall.