SOUTHEND Council’s plans to develop the town could lead to further neglect of the High Street, it has been claimed.

During a public examination of Southend Council’s Southend Central Area Action Plan - which maps out development for years to come - business owners questioned the council’s strategies to improve the High Street.

Helen Greenhalsh, who was representing the Royals Shopping Centre, urged the council to firm up a retail action plan to tackle the number of empty units in the town centre - which is above the national average.

She said: “I can envision the situation worsening if the council doesn’t have an action plan in place.

“The plans need a bit more work. The housing and employment strategy implies if more people come to the area, the units will be filled but that seems to be leaving it to hope.

“The worst case scenario is that this document isn’t strong enough and the number of vacant units will increase.

“A lot of retailers might just be waiting to see what happens, especially with out of town projects like Fossetts Farm.

“The plans need to be more pro-active.”

Inspector Mike Fox asked the representatives present at the hearing to meet and clarify what they would deem proactive enough to tackle the problem. The hearing continues.