Devon County Council has launched a new scheme that allows drivers to park on double yellow lines for a £5 a day charge.
The new parking dispensation scheme allows business owners, landlords and contractors to park on the double yellow lines across Devon, except in Torbay and Plymouth.
Concerns have been raised that this could be open to abuse as the county’s dedicated car parks charge higher that £5, so this move could lead to permits being sold in the black market and add to the congestion in urban areas.
A council insider is widely reported in the local press to have called it a ‘money making scheme’ and said: ‘Almost anyone can apply and there will be little to no checks made – it's all just about money.’
Trades people in Devon have been given parking dispensation since 2011 but the scheme relied on them knowing in advance which properties they would be working at, and applying for dispensation online.
The council says it now recognises the need for greater flexibility to include unplanned visits to properties.
Cllr Stuart Hughes, the council’s cabinet member with responsibility for on-street parking, said: ‘The scheme is to enable trades people, who require access to properties so that they can do their job, including landlords and letting agents, to park temporarily and responsibly in restricted parking areas for a limited period of time.
‘It is not a free ticket for anyone to park anywhere. Claims that anyone, unchecked, will be able to pay for dispensation so that they can ignore double yellow lines, are wrong.’
Eligibility for the scheme is established before purchase of any permits and they are only provided to legitimate contractors, landlords and letting agents. This, the Council emphasises, minimises the opportunity for abuse.
‘All dispensation permits, which require the display of contact telephone numbers, are monitored by our Civic Enforcement Officers. If anyone believes that the scheme is being abused, they should contact us with the location and vehicle details,’ said a council spokesperson.
