The Devizes Chamber of Commerce is part of a working group, led by the Devizes Town Council, to review and feedback on Wiltshire Council’s new County-wide parking order.

The order is designed to increase revenue generation for the County Council and proposes significant parking price increases, as well as the removal of the free 1/2 parking in the Market Place. After several meetings the working group has agreed on the main recommendations to discuss with Councillor Phillip Whitehead, Chairman of the Area Traffic Group, these include:

• proposed significant increases to season ticket prices are limited to no more than 12%
• that all Devizes parking charges are rationalised to a single tariff
• the length of stay at the south end of Station Road is increased to all day for ticket purchasing
• that the maximum stay is increased from 3 to 4 hours in all short stay car parks
• that the amendment to allow charging in the Market Place is removed from the order until a full impact assessment can be undertaken
• a reduction in the length of time visitors can stay in free on-street town centre parking
• that any reference to evening parking charges be removed
• that Sunday and Bank Holiday parking charges be removed

The Chamber also recommended that levels of enforcement in the town be increased, particularly in relation to on-street parking.