Mill Street car park: proposals for 'managing the remaining car parking spaces as a public pay and display car park.'

There has been a lot of to-ing and fro-ing over 'what to do about' the Mill Street car park:
Futures Forum: Mill Street Blues
Futures Forum: Proposals for Mill Street - Port Royal - Neighbourhood Plan

The District Council's Cabinet will consider a lengthy report tomorrow:

Sidmouth Mill Street car park 

Purpose of report: 
To consider a proposal to manage 36 un-let parking spaces in Sidmouth’s Mill Street car park for public pay and display car parking and to seek Members’ views on the long term future of this site. 

Recommendation: 
To take the necessary steps to revise the East Devon Parking Places Order and to task the Council’s in-house team with managing the remaining car parking spaces as a public pay and display car park.

eastdevon.gov.uk/media/1395571/021215-combined-cab-agenda.pdf

The Sidmouth Herald has covered the meeting on-line:

‘Partner’ for Mill Street?

16:30 02 December 2015

When Mill Street Car Park was almost completely empty

Mill Street’s 36 town centre parking spaces could be brought back into use for all if district chiefs back proposals for it to be managed on a pay and display basis.

East Devon District Council’s (EDDC) cabinet will consider bringing in a commercial partner to run the facility when it meets on Wednesday.

The review comes after more than 50 residents and businesspeople united in support of bringing the spaces, currently for permit holders only, back into wider use. EDDC is considering developing the site for affordable housing.

A report to cabinet says that EDDC could manage a pay and display car park itself, but the process would likely take too long to get it open in time for Christmas. Bringing in an external partner to manage it using number plate recognition technology would save the council £10,000 in legal work, consultation and advertising costs needed to vary its parking regulations. Revenue would be split 50-50 between EDDC and the external contractor – a move intended to avoid ‘incentivising over-zealous enforcement’ that could damage the council’s reputation.

EDDC reviewed the previous system of permits because it found that some spaces were being used by second home owners - while other had changed hands unofficially. The council trebled the annual cost of a permit for Mill Street or Holmdale to £1,800. When it sold only 22 out of a possible 58 permits, it suggested that Mill Street could be developed for affordable housing.

EDDC is still considering developing the site, but says it will continue to offer sufficient reserved car parking spaces at Mill Street and Holmdale to meet the needs of its existing customers.

‘Partner’ for Mill Street? - News - Sidmouth Herald

The East Devon Watch blog comments:

MILL STREET CAR PARK – EDDC MUDDIES THE FUDGE!

2 DEC 2015

Can anyone work out what the future of Mill Street from this article below? Is it a car park? Is it a development site? And why does EDDC need a ” partner” on this one site?

Mill Street car park – EDDC muddies the fudge! | East Devon Watch
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