Surveys on paid for parking in Seaton handed to Devon County Councillor

OVER 200 surveys on plans for paid parking in Seaton have been handed to town and Devon County Councillor Jim Knight.

The surveys showed that an overwhelming majority of respondents are against the planned move by DCC.

Seventy one per cent were against any parking metres in the town; 16 per cent said that if they had to have parking meters, they would choose part of The Esplanade in the summer only; and the remaining 12 per cent chose a variety of sites, mainly on the outskirts of the town.

Community group Seaton's Voice, formed to promote and support activities in the town hall, conducted the survey in The Square last month.

DCC plans to implement parking charges in Sea Hill, Seafield Road, Eyre Court Road, Fore Street, Queen Street, Cross Street, Harepath Road and The Esplanade.

But the council's traffic policy manager Matthew Scriven has said it was a question of where the restrictions would be implemented, rather than when.

Despite protests from town councillors and residents, he said objections would only be listened to if they related to safety and traffic issues.

He said the highway parking charges, likely to be introduced by the summer, were to increase turnover of parking spaces and for the town to contribute to on-street parking enforcement - which costs around �1 million across the county.