A vital meeting to finally draw up Dartmouth's controversial traffic and parking plan has had to be scrapped – because hardly anyone could be bothered to show up.

The proposals – which include suggestions for a multi-storey car park, a new bus terminal and even pay and display street parking – were due to be moulded into a final draft traffic plan before it is submitted to the town council.

But only eight people showed up at the recent meeting of the town's traffic and transport group – and that included three officers from the county and district councils. Just two town councillors showed up and one of them was group chairman Roger Chilcott.

Consideration of the traffic plan – which would have involved putting together the all-important final draft document for approval – had to be abandoned.

Now a new meeting is being called for 5pm next Wednesday at the Guildhall. And Cllr Chilcott said that if people do not turn up then decisions will be made without them.

'Obviously we are getting to a critical stage of the process,' he said. 'Hopefully at the next meeting we will be able to move forward.

'If people do not turn up or respond to the questions then it will be assumed that they agree with the finding of the group.'

The traffic plan ideas are the culmination of two years of meetings, arguments, public debates and the largest traffic and park survey carried out in the town's history.

Suggestions include a ban on unrestricted parking in the town centre; pedestrianisation of Smith Street, Higher Street and Fairfax Place; a bus terminal on the site of the community greenhouse or outside the police station; echelon parking alongside Coronation Park; possible pay and display parking in the town centre; a multi- storey car park on BRNC land at the bottom of College Way; and residential parking areas.

Moves to produce a traffic and parking plan for Dartmouth began in 2011 after Devon County Council backed down over the introduction of pay and display meters for the town centre streets.