A controversial scheme charging residents up to £90 to park outside their homes in Southend town centre is set to be ditched.

Residents will now have to live with the daily nightmare of finding a space outside their homes, senior councillor Brian Kelly said.

He spoke after a second set of consultations with residents in various roads around the town centre area where there is currently unrestricted parking.

From the replies, 71.4 per cent were opposed to the controlled parking zones, which would mean residents having permits and being required to pay to park outside their own homes.

Mr Kelly, executive councillor for transport, said: "Residents were quite clear that this is what they wanted and we told them the implications of that.

"They have now decided that they would rather have the chaos they have at the moment than the controlled parking zones. That's their decision.

"But we are not allowed to spend council taxpayers money on controlled parking zones so I don't know how we can resolve this problem."

Published Wednesday September 1, 2004

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