PARKING meters in Kingsbridge are off the agenda for good, according to a representative of Devon County Council.

Chris Watkins, an area traffic engineer for DCC, told last week's town council meeting that there would be no parking meters and no traffic management plan for Kingsbridge.

Residents, businesses and organisations fought hard against the possibility of parking meters throughout the town – even though it looked as if there was no going back after DCC had already taken delivery of meters during the consultation period.

Kingsbridge and Salcombe Chamber of Commerce organised a petition opposing the introduction of parking meters and collected over 2,500 signatures.

Totnes MP Sarah Wollaston took the issue to the House of Commons and discussed organising a referendum with Eric Pickles, the secretary of state for communities and local government.

At a public meeting held on January 7, 2011, DCC cabinet member for highways and transportation Cllr Stuart Hughes said: 'On street pay and display is no longer on the radar for Kingsbridge.'

However, days later, Cllr Hughes said meters could still be a possibility as part of a traffic management plan for the area: 'We're not scrapping this process, we're simply taking a step back to allow us some time to talk in more detail with towns, parishes, traders and emergency services.'

Kingsbridge Town Council has already come up with its own list of what it feels is needed based on feedback from the public.

The list includes residents parking schemes, improved road signs to car parks and an extension to the time limit on Fore Street disabled bays.

Town clerk Martin Johnson said: 'Kingsbridge council is delighted Devon's proposals for meters has finally been put to bed.

'The public meeting held at St Edmund's Church in January last year showed how much townspeople and traders opposed the introduction of meters and it's good news that the county council has listened.

'It now means that we crack on with a range of highways management matters. For example, in Fore Street the town council has lobbied for a new taxi rank to enable people to access the post office more easily and for time-designated loading bays to identify deliveries between specific times rather than 24 hours per day, which will free them up for other vehicles from late afternoon.

A county council spokesman said: 'In towns where pay and display was previously advertised, including Kingsbridge, the county council's traffic management team has been meeting with local county councillors and town councils to discuss responses.

'At a meeting with Kingsbridge council last week, it was confirmed that development of a traffic management plan was an opportunity to consider all aspects of traffic management in the town and could be used to agree a plan to address short-term and long-term ambitions.

'The town council voted that its existing traffic and parking list was adopted as the traffic management plan. It was agreed that Devon County Council will be looking into the feasibility of the town council traffic and parking list and feed back recommendations.'

Regarding the scrapping of the parking meter proposal, Amanda Bloomer, manager of Kingsbridge Information Centre, said: 'I am delighted – for everyone's benefit.

'I am also delighted that commonsense has prevailed. From the outset, Kingsbridge maintained there was no necessity for some rigid and formalised traffic management plan for the town and that if this issue was left in local hands, we would continue to do what Kingsbridge is so very, very good at – just getting on with things and making the best of them!'