Salcombe Struggles: £10 Parking Fee Deters Visitors from UK's Priciest Coastal Town

As of August 2025, Salcombe, a picturesque coastal town in Devon, is grappling with the consequences of a new £10 daily parking fee for visitors. This charge, introduced recently, has sparked outrage among both tourists and local business owners.

Salcombe, once known for its high concentration of second homes, making up around 60% of its housing stock, has seen a significant drop in average house prices. According to Lloyds, the average house price in the Devon hotspot has tumbled by 22% to £970,657, compared to over £1.2 million in 2022. However, Rightmove's August rankings still position Sandbanks and Canford Cliffs in Dorset as the UK's most costly seaside towns, with average asking prices of £1.5 million and £1.2 million respectively.

Local business owners, such as Beck Gordon, the owner of a cafe and fishmonger's, have expressed concerns about the impact of the parking fees on their trade. Gordon has noticed a drop in visits from nearby residents, stating, "In terms of day-trippers, if you talk about more local people, they definitely don't come any more." A local cafe manager has even revealed that she spends a whopping £120 of her earnings solely on parking.

Councillor Julian Brazil, who is in charge of community services at the local council, has defended the decision, stating that the council has "kept our car parking charges as competitive as possible" and that "many workers in Salcombe have benefited from our competitive parking permits, which offer significantly lower long-term parking compared to our pay-on-the-day rates." However, he acknowledges that the council "doesn't want to increase prices, but this is the best choice for us under the circumstances we find ourselves in."