Congratulations on the Gazette's coverage last week of the latest car parking developments in Devizes. This issue has some way to run yet, and the next milestone date is January 18, when it will come before Kennet's community development committee.

You mentioned Peter Lay and the Devizes Development Partnership proposal for rescuing something from the wreckage of Gillespie's town centre consultancy. Although we were originally against the Tesco car park redevelopment, this latest proposal has the support of the Trust for Devizes. Like Gillespie's, the DDP scheme concentrates retail development on the Tesco car park, but unlike Gillespie's does not sacrifice the car parking capacity there, instead, retaining equivalent parking on more than one level, alongside a two level retail building.

This double decked development must be sensitively designed, but should be no higher than the present Tesco building, and would avoid the need to build decked car parking in Station Road.

On decriminalised parking, there is a possibility of a similar compromise. 'Decrim' is not a problem: it means that the police are freed from on street parking enforcement, and the council can take over. But which council? What we do not want is an impersonal county parking control centre in Salisbury, dictating parking charges throughout Wiltshire and handing out £60 fines to finance the services of private enforcement contractors in Devizes. Our team of parking officers do an effective but sensitive job. If this team could take over from the police, it would cost the district council less than a county council scheme.

Incidentally, the reason that County are so keen to take over, is that decrim is Government policy, and WCC will be rewarded with a performance grant. That may be great for the County Council, but in Kennet we shall have to carry an estimated £268,000 in setting up costs plus £83,000 a year in losses, just when we are having to introduce charging in the Market Place to make ends meet.

J Ody

The Trust for Devizes