TOWN councillors have been told a decision to close off one end of a Tavistock car park to deter anti-social behaviour – but leave the other side open – is ‘bizarre’, writes Phil Stoneham.

The Co-op car park in Brook Street was sealed off at the request of the police at its entry to Old Exeter Road, town councillors were told.

But Cllr James Ellis questioned whether that was an effective move when the car park, owned and run by West Devon Borough Council, could still be accessed from the Brook Street end.

He said the decision was ‘quite bizarre’ and was backed up by town council colleagues and borough council ward members Mandy Ewings and Jeff Moody.

Cllr Moody said: ‘I am told that the reason for closing it is anti-social behaviour and when I tried to find out why it couldn’t be open during trading hours instead of for 24 hours a day and the response I received is that the police requested it. I don’t see the logic in it.’

He said he was hoping to set up some kind of dialogue with other Tavistock ward members and the police to discuss the situation.

Cllr Moody said the closure was supposed to be reviewed at the end of schools’ half term and said the move would not resolve anti-social behaviour, but move it on to elsewhere in the town.

He added that it would be more productive to discuss the problem with youth and social workers to examine the root cause of anti-social behaviour rather than ‘just closing the gate’.

After the council session, Cllr Moody said: ‘Maybe we could set up a meeting with the young people (about the problem) to see if we can get a two-way conversation going.

‘It seems to me that this is firefighting rather than addressing the root cause (of anti-social behaviour).’

Cllr Moody said he had been disappointed that as a ward member he had not been informed about the closure of the car park.

He added: ‘I’m no expert and I’m not a social worker and I certainly do not want to be seen to be tarring young people with the same brush.

‘There seems to be a feeling that it’s the kids again, but I believe that it is a small group of young people who are involved in this and somebody needs to get a grip on it.

‘I don’t know, because I haven’t been told, what the police are doing about it, but the police used to take young people home and tell their parents and then have a chat about it.’

Police have been working with the borough council and the Co-op, to look at dealing with the anti-social behaviour problem, which has included shopping trolleys being heaved from an upstairs storey, while the Co-op has insisted the closure is not permanent.

Co-op told the Times recently that the store had several exits making it easier for people to cause trouble and get out quickly. The closure of one exit plus changes in the opening hours of the car park should help deter crime, they said.