Council plans for parking ‘vacationer tax’ at widespread Devon vacation hotspot dubbed ‘Chelsea-on-Sea’
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A popular seaside town dubbed ‘Chelsea-on-Sea’ is planning to introduce a tourist ‘parking tax’ to battle the influx of visitors.
Local businesses in Salcombe have warned that the radical proposal to charge tourists more than locals for parking across the district of South Hams could be ‘detrimental’ to the town’s economy.
Under the controversial plans, a full day of parking at Salcombe Creek car park would be increased from £6.50 to £10 for tourists, while locals will only have to pay £8.
Residents must apply for a discount to ensure they are exempt from paying the ‘tourist tax’.
It comes as many cities across the UK are considering a European-style tourist tax that would see visitors pay more for hotel rooms.
Jude Macintosh, manager of The Ship In Dock Inn, said parking in Salcombe and Dartmouth is a ‘constant headache’ – and raising prices won’t ‘attract’ guests to come and stay.
She said: ‘Dartmouth and Salcombe is particularly challenging on parking and yes it does have a knock-on effect with people coming.
‘I don’t know why residents get it cheaper. Our bookings have gone down by a third because now we don’t provide permits. We took it away because we can’t afford to carry that cost.
Council bosses in Salcombe, Devon, are planning to make parking more expensive for tourists
Local businesses fear that the price hike could reduce footfall in Salcombe. Pictured: Tourists holidaying in the seaside town
‘The councils are just trying to keep people away because they are not doing anything – as in parking – to entice them.
A local and small business owner, 64, based in Salcombe, explained that parking in town is an ‘awful issue’ – and the plans will ‘most definitely’ stop people from visiting the area.
He said: ‘Everybody packs down here to rent holiday homes but things change – right now it is extremely quiet.
‘Wouldn’t it be lovely if people could park without adding an extra expense?’
Wendy Jones, owner of Dartmouth Launderette, said the plans will do shops and businesses ‘no good at all’.
She said: ‘It is very detrimental to Dartmouth. Parking is quite expensive as it is. It will damage the businesses.
‘People tend not to use park and ride because it is quite expensive too. I think if they made it cheaper people would utilise it more.
‘It is just an easy way to make money and we will all suffer with this. We are slightly different from your average tourist shop but we get loads of campers.’
Salcombe (pictured) is a popular holiday destination and has been dubbed ‘Chelsea-on-Sea’
Wendy Jones (pictured with partner and co-owner Mike), owner of Dartmouth Launderette, said the plans will do shops and businesses ‘no good at all’
Totnes is one of the other areas under consideration.
Roger Savin, 81, owner of The Little Elbow Room in Totnes has people from all over the country and the world visiting for holidays.
He said: ‘I find that very difficult for them [council] to police that. How are they going to know if the car is not local.
‘It can have a car plate from London but the person could be from here.’
Another business owner based in Totnes said they would be ‘very frustrated’ if they were a visitor and saw the price increase.
For them, tourists have the ‘bread and butter money’ as they sustain the businesses throughout the year.
They said: ‘If parking is raised in an amount which is unreasonable I am afraid that people might not buy from the High Street.
‘I think that the footfall decreases because of the lack of spaces and the pricing.’
A council spokesperson said they are ‘regretfully considering’ increasing charges from April 1 2025.
They said: ‘We checked car parks in similar locations across Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and Dorset to compare our current charges and our proposed new charges.
‘Following this review of charges across the South West, it is clear that car parking charges in the South Hams are lower than most.
‘Residents of the South Hams would be able to apply for membership of a new Resident Discounts Scheme.
‘This will allow them to access lower parking charges at all our council-owned car parks via the cashless parking app.
‘Those who don’t have a smartphone will receive an extra half hour parking time instead.’
The consultation opens 9am on Thursday December 12 and closes at 5pm on Sunday January 5 with a final decision made in the same month.
Plans to introduce a parking tax on tourists comes as cities across the UK consider whether to charge visitors for staying in their areas.
Last week, York became the latest UK city to consider charging tourists more for hotel rooms in a bid to boost funding for its historic attractions.
That came after London Mayor Sadiq Khan said he would consider a tax on the capital’s hotels – with his team looking at the evidence from Manchester and Liverpool, which have already brought in similar charges, as well as other cities around Europe.
According to The Standard, Mr Khan said last month: ‘I’m happy to look into where it’s worked, what the issues are in relation to that particular policy… We’ll be looking at what cities are doing not just across Europe, but in the UK as well.’
Pressed on whether he supported the idea in principle, Mr Khan said: ‘Let’s wait and see what the evidence is. I’m somebody who believes in following the evidence.’
In England, there are no powers held by the central government, local councils or mayors to introduce a tourist tax, unlike in some European cities – but Manchester and Liverpool both introduced one in April last year through a legal workaround.
The city councils brought in tourism-based Business Improvement Districts (BID) to collect additional business rates payments from firms operating in specified areas.
Other cities could copy this model in a bid to boost their local economies and maintain historic sites and public spaces.
