THE leader of Southend Council has said adequate parking will be the key to ensuring future plans to transform the town centre are successful.

Councillors will next week scrutinise the latest draft of the Southend Central Area Action Plan, which details plans for homes, transport, leisure and educational areas in the town centre area from Victoria Avenue through to the seafront.

More than 4,000 new homes are set to be built and it is hoped there will be an increase in tourism but main routes, like the A127, are already overburdened and the town’s infrastructure is unlikely to cope without change.

To address this, the plan calls for a “shift away from car use” and suggests strategies to encourage the use of public transport, cycling and walking within the town centre area.

A report to councillors says: “Without this the regeneration of central Southend could be adversely affected by increasing congestion, with negative health and environmental impacts.”

But while the plan also shows current car parks will be maintained, councillor John Lamb said these measures will not be enough to encourage the numbers of visitors into the town that the local economy needs to thrive. He said: “If you look at trying to attract more people then you need more parking and that is what we want to do. There is a parking review going on and I have made it clear I want to increase parking availability.

“This is going to be a living document which will go through council. It is not a forever document. It can’t be because there are things in there that need to change. We want to see how we can attract more people to Southend and for them to stay, so we need to improve a number of things, parking being one of them.”

Town planners say the High Street, much of which is currently boarded up, will “contribute to the vitality and viability of the area”. It is set for an increase in the number of homes, cafes and restaurants but there is little detail on how to attract such investment there.

Ann Holland, councillor responsible for culture, tourism and the economy, says the Business Improvement District scheme, which sees businesses work together to improve an area had an important part to play. She said: “We have been working with BID to try to make the High Street a positive place. That’s all we can do but if we have a lot of leisure and cultural things there that will help. We need to make the empty shops more attractive with some nice artwork.”