Ivybridge car parking under pressure

Preparations begin for regeneration

People who use two busy car parks in the centre of Ivybridge are worried there will be too few spaces to leave their vehicles when an area is fenced off on Monday [10 January]. 

South Hams District Council admitted that parking capacity at Glanvilles Mill and Leonards Road car park will be reduced for the week.

Parts of the car park will be fenced off as works in preparation for a proposed £9 million regeneration project for the town get underway.  The redevelopment is set to include a new Aldi supermarket on Leonards Road car park.  

The council apologised for any inconvenience but some people who regularly use the car parks say they are not happy.  

Darryl, who lives in the area, said: “It can only make business in Ivybridge more difficult. It’s going to reduce footfall and probably irritate people. We might lose some custom.”

He also doubted whether the new Aldi supermarket would increase footfall.  

“If there’s no parking where the people are going to park to go shopping?” he said. 

Plans for the new store will allow for the provision of adequate parking when complete.  

Another local resident, Lisa, was also concerned about the impact of closing parts of the car park.   

“I live quite locally so I can walk to work,” she said.

“But a lot of my colleagues who work on the main high street don’t know where they’re going to park, so they’re going to clutter up a lot of the rest of Ivybridge. 

“I think there’s going to be a lot of cars everywhere.”

On the construction of a new supermarket and the impact on parking, Lisa was cautiously optimistic. “Apparently there’s going to be enough for everybody to be able to use what they need to use. 

“I think long-term the jury’s out on that one I’m afraid at the moment. 

“But I do think the streets of Ivybridge are going to get a lot more crowded.”

The regeneration plans include developing a section of Leonards Road car park to include the Aldi store. Earlier consultations suggested the proposal was widely supported by local people.   

It is estimated the planned store could create between 30 and 40 jobs, with up to 100 shoppers able to use it at any one time.

It is expected that shoppers will also use other town facilities while in the area.

Preparations for construction comes as plans for a new footbridge in the town have been submitted to replace one of the existing wooden crossings in the town centre.

The Northern Bridge, which crosses the River Erme and connects Glanvilles Mill to the nearby car park, was built in the mid-eighties but has since suffered from rot.

If passed, the replacement bridge would be made of metal rather than wood. 

South Hams District Council is inviting people to comment on the proposed bridge’s replacement until Thursday 13 January.