Devon council plans parking fee increases at popular country parks

Parking prices are set to rise at two park attractions owned by a Devon council.

The parking fees at Stover Country Park, in Newton Abbot, and the Grand Western Canal car park, in Tiverton, will rise by 10 per cent.

That means the current £2 fare in both car parks for two hours will rise to £2.20, while the existing £4 charge for four hours will rise to £4.40 in both.

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Residents can get permits to avoid them having to pay each time they use one of these car parks, and the prices of these permits, currently £25, will rise by 4 per cent to £26.

The charges were most recently altered in August 2023, and so the council wanted to review the fees given recent high levels of inflation.

ABOVE: Grand Western Canal (Credit: Martin Bodman)

The council stressed that income from these two car parks was used within the parks themselves, for the likes of maintenance and improvements to signage and paths.

At the same time, the corporate infrastructure and regulatory services scrutiny committee heard that prices in the Taw View off-street car park would also need altering after having been unintentionally overlooked for 14 years.

The county council is usually only responsible for on-street parking, with off-street provision being the responsibility of either district councils or private companies.

The car park at Taw View, in Barnstaple, is used for staff parking in the week and at weekends made available for the general public.

The revenue from the weekend use of the car park supports the increasing costs to run and maintain the car park.

Following a review of the current parking charges for the adjacent off-street car parks, the council proposed what is essentially a 40 per cent hike, albeit that takes the current £1 for one hour now to £1.40.

The prices are in line with the charges at North Walk off street car park operated by North Devon District Council.

The committee asked the cabinet to consider if the charges at all the car parks should be reviewed annually rather than every two years.