County council announces a public consultation for eight Devon towns

Pay-and-display parking could be on the cards for the East Devon towns of Sidmouth and Honiton, the county council has revealed.

Becca Gliddon eastdevonnews.co.uk

Once the Traffic Orders are advertised at the November, and into December, the public will have just 21 to make their views known.

Devon County Council (DCC) said comments received through the public consultation will be considered before any final decision is made,

DCC said installing pay-and-display parking in Sidmouth and Honiton would bring the towns in line, locally, with Exmouth and Exeter.

It said the proposals included free parking for the first hour and would result in converting existing limited waiting bays.

The proposed changes have been announced for eight towns across Devon – Braunton, Crediton, Dartmouth, Honiton, Okehampton, Salcombe, Sidmouth and Tavistock.

A Devon County Council spokesman said: “The proposals are for communities which do not already have -or have very little – pay-and-display.

“The proposals are located in busy town centres where vehicles often spend time circulating looking for parking places and where off-street parking is available.”

The county council believes the restrictions will:

• Manage congestion
• Improve air quality
• Provide a safer environment for pedestrians and cyclists
• Maintain reasonable access to premises
• Encourage off-street car park use and shorter stay parking

A DCC spokesman said: “Pay and display parking is widely used, both across Devon and nationally, with well-established schemes in communities such as Bideford, Barnstaple, Newton Abbot, Totnes, Exmouth and Exeter.

“It can help reduce congestion and encourages the turn-over of vehicles and availability of parking spaces, particularly in busy town centres, thereby helping to support the local economy and the use of local shops and businesses.

“Following discussions with local members and community representatives, the proposals also include one-hour free parking in the new pay and display spaces in all eight communities.

“This is to ensure that the new parking policy strikes the right balance of keeping costs down for users while delivering the benefits we have identified.”

Councillor Stuart Hughes, DCC cabinet member for highways management, said: “I understand there may be concerns about pay and display, and that is why we have talked to local groups and elected members to ensure that the first hour parking is free.

“Pay and display has been in place in many communities in Devon for some years and we believe it is one of the components that is needed to ensure a healthy high street and community.

“It encourages turnover of parking spaces thereby increasing the availability of town centre parking in busy areas, it reduces congestion and may encourage some to walk and cycle more.”

The proposals follow a review of parking management agreed by the county council in November 2022.

100-year-old structure has no foundations

Wall isn’t all it’s cracked up to be (image courtesy: EDDC)

A barrier of vertical steel sheet piles costing more than a million pounds could be the solution to save a section of Exmouth’s sea wall.  

Will Goddard, local democracy reporter www.radioexe.co.uk

Cracks in the wall, which is believed to be around 100 years old, appeared in August in front of the Sideshore development. 

A storm at the end of October significantly dropped beach levels and caused the wall to “crack and slump,” putting it “at serious risk of collapse.”

Concrete blocks were then put at its base ahead of Storm Ciaran, which helped keep it intact. 

The wall has failed because it has no foundations at this location and has been undermined, according to a report to East Devon District Council (EDDC)’s cabinet, which estimates the repair cost at £1.1 million.

When waves wash out sand from underneath, the structure cracks. A further storm may remove the stone, which would eventually lead to all of the sea wall “unzipping” and land behind being lost to the sea. 

To fix the problem, a vertical steel sheet piled wall in front of the current wall has been suggested. This could be in place indefinitely or at least until next autumn. 

The sloping seaward revetments would be removed, or alternatively repaired or replaced for aesthetic purposes. 

Other options such as beach recharges and rock defences were considered, but thrown out because of high costs. 

Currently only 90 metres of the 255-metre section between Coastwatch House and Sideshore has failed. 

But the remaining 165 metres of wall is “of the same construction and at risk of failure”, the report warns, and would be more expensive to repair later. 

The Environment Agency could help cover between £250,000 and £400,000 of the cost, but this is not guaranteed. 

Works are “unlikely to start until January and there will probably be further costs as temporary repairs are made until then. But there is a chance they could start next month. Installing the piles will take eight and a half weeks. 

“The main risk is that the wall falls completely before we start with the end solution”, the report warns.  

East Devon District Council’s cabinet will decide what to do when it meets next Wednesday.

Look taxes really are falling!