Southend-on-Sea parking plans will destroy businesses, says theme park owner

A 10-year strategy to be discussed by the council would see major changes to parking on Southend seafront

The owner of a seafront theme park has said plans to limit parking during the summer months are "madness".

Southend-on-Sea City Council has produced a 10-year parking strategy which could see parts of the seafront pedestrianised.

The plans could also mean increased parking charges for some vehicles - and the removal of cash ticket machines.

Philip Miller, owner of Adventure Island, said: "They now want to essentially close us down."

Under the proposals, areas of the seafront would be monitored by automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras, with fixed penalty notices issued to those who breach the closures, the Local Democracy Reporting Service heard.

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Steven Wakefield, councillor responsible for highways, transport and parking, said parts of the strategy may not necessarily happen - but would provide the council with the means to implement them if they wished to.

He said: "If we want to pedestrianise the seafront in the next 10 years we can because it's already in the document. You could prevent traffic going through a zone at certain times.

"In the summer, if it was a really busy Saturday on the seafront, it then becomes more dangerous to have cars going along the seafront in that area.

"It would be safer for people and a lot more environmentally sound."

Philip Miller, who owns Adventure Island in Southend, said plans to limit parking would "destroy trade"

Mr Miller said he believed the move would hit businesses.

"What will they think of next to destroy trade on the seafront?" he said.

"They increase parking charges exponentially to force customers away. Cars are oxygen to businesses.

"Imagine closing Leigh Broadway or Southchurch Road. There would be outcry.

"Just imagine normal residents travelling from east to west in the town all being siphoned through the already bottle-necked roads."

The council will also move forward with cashless parking by a phased programme to remove cash ticket machines across the city.

The proposals will be discussed at a scrutiny meeting on Monday.