Latest news with #ChelseaOnSea
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Seaside town ‘driving away tourists' with two-tier parking charges
Locals have criticised their seaside town's two-tiered parking charges. Beck Gordon, who owns a cafe and fishmonger in Salcombe, south Devon, claims day-trippers have stopped visiting. Owners of second homes, which make up about 60 per cent of the properties in this picturesque seaside town dubbed Chelsea-on-Sea, are already charged double council tax. But now tourists have been hit with a differential parking scheme, after the Lib Dem-led council introduced a £10-a-day parking charge. It means that while South Hams District Council is charging tourists up to £10 for a day's parking, locals can pay £5 for an annual permit that lets them use the town's car parks for £8 a day. The town is reliant on tourists and some business owners fear they will now be dissuaded from visiting, with some reporting a much quieter Easter holiday than usual. Ms Gordon said: 'It's quieter generally. The parking's definitely an issue. 'In terms of day-trippers, if you talk about more local people, they definitely don't come anymore.' She revealed it was cheaper to pay for a parking ticket a week than to use the car park. 'Sometimes you get lucky and the parking guys don't come round for one or two days so you end up with maybe two parking tickets a week – but it's cheaper to pay for one or two parking tickets a week than it is to park in the car park, which is absolutely ridiculous. 'We probably pay anywhere between £25 and £50 a week in parking tickets whereas if we parked in the car park it would cost us £70.' One cafe manager, who didn't want to be named, said she spends £120 of her wages on parking. 'It's affecting workers in the town. Because I park before 8am, I have to go for 24-hour parking at Creek car park, which is ridiculous. Yes, I can buy a parking permit, but that's so much money and I only work three days a week.' Cllr Julian Brazil, executive leader of the council's community services, said: 'We'd like to do everything to help the tourism trade and we have kept our car parking charges as competitive as possible. Residents of the South Hams can benefit from our discounted resident parking scheme. 'Many workers in Salcombe have benefited from our competitive parking permits which offer significantly lower long-term parking compared to our pay on the day rates. 'Be under no illusion, we don't want to increase prices, but this is the best choice for us under the circumstances we find ourselves in. 'Our prices have been frozen for four years, and now everyone who benefits from our public services are being asked to contribute, and that includes our visitors.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
18-05-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Seaside town ‘driving away tourists' with two-tier parking charges
Locals have criticised their seaside town's two-tiered parking charges. Beck Gordon, who owns a cafe and fishmonger in Salcombe, south Devon, claims day-trippers have stopped visiting. Owners of second homes, which make up about 60 per cent of the properties in this picturesque seaside town dubbed Chelsea-on-Sea, are already charged double council tax. But now tourists have been hit with a differential parking scheme, after the Lib Dem-led council introduced a £10-a-day parking charge. It means that while South Hams District Council is charging tourists up to £10 for a day's parking, locals can pay £5 for an annual permit that lets them use the town's car parks for £8 a day. The town is reliant on tourists and some business owners fear they will now be dissuaded from visiting, with some reporting a much quieter Easter holiday than usual. Ms Gordon said: 'It's quieter generally. The parking's definitely an issue. 'In terms of day-trippers, if you talk about more local people, they definitely don't come anymore.' She revealed it was cheaper to pay for a parking ticket a week than to use the car park. 'Sometimes you get lucky and the parking guys don't come round for one or two days so you end up with maybe two parking tickets a week – but it's cheaper to pay for one or two parking tickets a week than it is to park in the car park, which is absolutely ridiculous. 'We probably pay anywhere between £25 and £50 a week in parking tickets whereas if we parked in the car park it would cost us £70.' One cafe manager, who didn't want to be named, said she spends £120 of her wages on parking. 'It's affecting workers in the town. Because I park before 8am, I have to go for 24-hour parking at Creek car park, which is ridiculous. Yes, I can buy a parking permit, but that's so much money and I only work three days a week.' Cllr Julian Brazil, executive leader of the council's community services, said: 'We'd like to do everything to help the tourism trade and we have kept our car parking charges as competitive as possible. Residents of the South Hams can benefit from our discounted resident parking scheme. 'Many workers in Salcombe have benefited from our competitive parking permits which offer significantly lower long-term parking compared to our pay on the day rates. 'Be under no illusion, we don't want to increase prices, but this is the best choice for us under the circumstances we find ourselves in. 'Our prices have been frozen for four years, and now everyone who benefits from our public services are being asked to contribute, and that includes our visitors.'
