THE OWNER of a controversial airport car parking firm has had her latest bid to legitimise the business thrown out by council planners.

Southend Airport Car Park is running a valet parking service from a site at off Coopers Way, on the Temple Farm industrial estate, but without planning permission.

Company boss Lorraine Larman, , spoke of her determination to carry on after council planners rejected her latest retrospective application.

In February she submitted a revised bid to keep using the land as a car park with a portacabin office.

However, officers said the land is set aside for wider employment use and there is already adequate airport parking provided, before refusing it.

Mrs Larman said: “We are still open and I will fight this all the way. They are ridiculous excuses.

There isn’t enough parking because we are full up all the time. Why would people book with us if there wasn't the demand.”

She said hers was the only business with a valet service for the elderly and disabled.

She added: “We are a Southend family-run business who have created 12 jobs and this could grow to 25 in the summer, for people who were unemployed.

The land has been derelict for 20 years and our landlord cant sell it or rent it to anyone else, so some jobs are better than no jobs.”

An earlier application made in September was refused on similar grounds last December.

Mrs Larman appealed to the Planning Inspectorate and is awaiting a hearing date.

The Coopers Way site opened last June, but was given three months to close by the council before her applications were made.

The appeal means the council can currently take no action.

Andrew Lewis, council director for place, said in a report: “The change of use of the land to a commercial car park involves the loss of existing employment land.

This is considered to have an adverse impact on the borough’s limited supply of employment generating land.

“The proposed development provides commercial car parking associated with the day to day running of the airport for which there is already sufficient provision within the borough.”