Free parking at north Essex streets due to be scrapped

3 February 2024

Tom Larsen-Wright and Shivani ChaudhariBBC News, Essex

News image — Olivia Washington said the free parking was "crucial"

Olivia's Curiosities Person standing at a stall in a street market in Braintree — Olivia Washington said the free parking was "crucial"

Free-of-charge on-street parking is due to be scrapped at 19 locations in north Essex.

Councillors voted to approve the measures at a meeting at Colchester Town Hall on Thursday.

One market stallholder said free parking was "crucial" for residents.

The changes are expected to increase revenue for local councils and a North Essex Parking Partnership (NEPP) spokesperson said the plan would "improve traffic management".

The 19 streets affected are in the Colchester, Braintree, Epping Forest and Harlow districts.

Drivers can currently park free of charge for a limited period at most of these streets.

Anna Louise Claydon/BBC Cllr James Abbott standing next to Witham Elm Tree — James Abbott said the scheme seemed to be nothing more than a revenue-raising exercise

Olivia Washington, a market stallholder in Braintree, said the free parking was "crucial" to them.

"In a cost-of-living crisis you do not want to pay extra for parking if you are already going to town to spend money," they said.

James Abbott, a Green Party councillor on Braintree District Council, said the plans did "not appear to be anything other than a revenue raising exercise".

"I just cannot see the justification other than raising money for the people who have been coming to our town centres," he told BBC Essex.

A spokesperson for NEPP said: "Paid parking has proven to be an effective tool for managing traffic flow and ensuring parking availability in busy areas."

Following the NEPP joint committee meeting, the spokesperson said the proposals would undergo a "formal public advertising period" allowing residents and "stakeholders" to raise any concerns before the scheme was implemented in the next financial year.