One-hour parking over the summer is set to be reintroduced at Seaway car park, as part of a wider plan to increase the number of short-stay options in Southend.

The option to park for only an hour at Seaway during the summer months was scrapped last year in favour of a two-hour minimum stay.

At the time, the council bosses were accused of making the change in order to make up for the funds it may lose when the car park is redeveloped into a leisure complex but they rejected the claims, saying the two issues are not related.

The pricing will range from £1.60 from April to October and £1.20 from November until March.

Philip Miller MBE, executive chairman of the Stockvale Group, which owns Adventure Island and Sea Life Adventure said that this would be a relief if the one-hour band was reintroduced for the entire seafront.

He said “I know some seafront cafes that have stopped opening for breakfast trade since the council introduced two-hour minimum charges.

“I know of high street businesses that have relocated or closed altogether since the introduction of that ill thought-out strategy. Have they thought about compensation to the worst effected?

"What the high street really needs to maintain what shops remain and to encourage new business to invest is free two-hour parking on all side streets adjacent to the high street."

More short-stay spaces will be made available at two short-stay car parks on the High Street.

The first will be at the existing London Road North car park where the current 14 spaces will be changed to allow a maximum stay of one hour.

The second will comprise of 12 spaces on the former public toilets at Pitman’s Close.

Both will have a fixed fare of 20p for half an hour or 50p for an hour.

All changes will come into effect from April 1 and will operate on a trial basis for the following 12 months.

The deputy leader of the council, James Courtenay, said: “While we want residents and visitors to stay longer in our town, I acknowledge that sometimes people just need to nip into town to grab a coffee or collect an order.

“Indeed, Click and Collect shopping is an increasingly important market for some of our high street retailers and these new short-stay parking options should cater perfectly for that market.

"This is something that local businesses told us was important to them as we consulted over the 2019/20 budget.

“Over the next year we’ll be keeping a close eye on the take up of these new car parks and speaking to town centre businesses to see what impact they have on the high street trade. We will also be doing more to promote use of the more than 2,000 singe-hour parking spaces the town already has, both in council and private ownership.”

One-hour parking in Southend town centre

Tylers Avenue and York Road Car Parks – 340 spaces priced at £1.10 for an hour

Short Street Car Park – 101 spaces priced at £1.10 for an hour

Seaway Car Park – 630 spaces priced at £1.20 for an hour (November – March) or £1.60 for an hour (April – October) commencing 1 April 2019

Royals Shopping Centre – 400 spaces priced at £1.10 for an hour

Victoria Shopping Centre – 670 spaces priced at £0.90 for an hour

Sainsbury’s – 340 spaces priced at £1 for an hour (reimbursed with minimum spend instore)

Road North (from 1 April 2019) – 14 spaces priced at 20p for half an hour or 50p for an hour

Pitmans (from 1 April 2019) – 12 spaces priced at 20p for half an hour or 50p for an hour

Southend Central Station (NCP) – 138 spaces priced at £1.70 for one hour

Luker Road (Britania Parking) – priced at £0.90 for one hour.

Half and single-hour parking is also available in on-street bays in the following streets within the town centre area:

Alexandra Road, Alexandra Street, Baltic Avenue, Cambridge Road, Capel Terrace, Cashiobury Terrace, Clarence Road, Clarence Street, Clifton Terrace, Clifftown Road, Devereaux Road, Gordon Road, London Road, Nelson Street, Prittlewell Square, Queens Road, Royal Terrace, Runwell Terrace, Southchurch Road, Warrior Square, Weston Road, Victoria Avenue, Whitegate Road, York Road.