Villagers outraged after lord introduces car parking charges on his estate

A Lord of the Manor sparked outrage yesterday after introducing pay and display parking charges in a tiny village.

Lord Roborough ordered workman to turn several areas popular with shoppers and families on his Maristow estate into no-parking zones.

The estate in Yelverton, Devon includes car parks next to a pub and outside a village hall, a children's play park and land containing recycling bins.

But this week the car parks became pay-and-display while double yellow lines were painted outside a church and playground and around the park and bins.

The free parking was used by visitors to a local Mencap charity, an old people's home and a parade of shops, restaurants and a bank.

Lord Roborough said parking would be run by a car park operator who is due to install meters next week.

But residents are angry and have accused Baron Roborough of 'penny pinching'.

Newsagent Richard Eales said: 'I had an 89-year-old walk over a mile to tell me how disgusted she was.

'We have had no consultation about the changes and whether there will be any exclusions for local people.

'My customers are up in arms. We are a rural business and people around here rely on cars.'

Another resident fumed: 'He's just penny pinching. Now we're all going to have to pay to park in our own village.'

Local butcher Antony Terrell said: 'We are a very small village. This will just send more people into town.

'Some of the yellow lines are outside the church. People will be looking for change at a funeral.'

The third Baron Roborough, whose nephew Harry Lopes is married to Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall's daughter Laura, has a portfolio of rental property in the area and lets a number of farms.

The pay-and display signs have been installed in a car park he owns outside near the Leg O'Mutton pub.

He has also put yellow lines on kerbs around an adjacent play area, land with recycling bins and outside St Paul's Church on the other side of the road.

In total there is room for about 80 cars to park in the sites but until now they have been able to park for free for a maximum of two hours.

Joseph Hess, the estate manager, refused to comment on what the charges parking will be.

He said: 'The estate is run as a business, and we can no longer sustain the costs of maintaining these sites and dealing with issues like fly-tipping.'

Mr Hess said the estate was already issuing permits to the nursing home for visiting doctors and added that parking outside the church on Sundays would still be free.

Mike Leece, chairman of Plymouth Chamber of Commerce, said the charges would hit the local economy.

He said: 'This is not a constructive way to help the local economy.

'It will adversely hamper trade, which is not good for the local area. Most people don't park here for long.'

Lord Roborough has already angered residents in his villages on his estate by putting up an eight-foot steel padlocked gate across a quiet road linking their communities.

He was accused of installing a 'Berlin Wall' by blocking a popular access route between the villages of Roborough and Woolwell.

A spokesman for the estate defended the gate and said that the private farm track had become a 'rat run'.