Our performance indicator in the last year
10-year parking strategy
- this was signed off and agreed on by Council in January 2023
- the service has included a Parking Implementation Plan (PIP) to aide delivery of the strategy and will be referenced within many of the Council's priorities over the coming years
New parking permit zone
Milton West CPZ
This parking permit scheme was implemented as part of the continued effort to:
- improve parking space availability
- protect residents in an area which was at capacity
This scheme was initially implemented using an experimental traffic order.
It enabled the Council to:
- monitor the parking situation in the area
- understand the use of space within the area
The creation and addition of permit parking disabled bays are available in each road included in the scheme:
- Avenue Road
- Avenue Terrace
- Burdett Avenue
- Canewdon Road
- Cossington Road
- Hadleigh Road
- Hermitage Road
- Leonard Road
- Milton Road
- Park Cresent
- Park Road
- Park Terrace
- Preston Road
- Retreat Road
- St Helens Road
- St John's Road
- St Vincent's Road
- Wickford Road
Refurbishment of our parking facilities
- in the summer of 2022, Shoebury East Beach Car Park underwent significant refurbishment, including:
- creation of 250 parking spaces; including 12 disabled and 3 coach spaces -ducting has also been provided for future EV charging points
- improvements to existing footways were carried out to ensure that they meet Equality Act requirements
- new CCTV cameras were installed
- the enhancements allowed access to East beach all year round and forms part of the wider East Beach masterplan which include newly refurbished public toilets, future cafés, costal defence and beach access improvements
- To make sure it continues to be one of the most popular seafront parking locations, Fairheads Green Car Park was resurfaced and relined in early 2023
- Rayleigh Road car park was converted into a Pay and Display facility, which allows customers free parking for one hour. Season ticket options are also available
Support for events
2022/23 was a successful year of events being held in the city. All events tend to require either or both:
- traffic management
- parking requirements
As a result, the Traffic and Highways team have been providing support to all the high-profile events held in the city. These included:
- East Beach Caribbean Festival
- City Jam
- Fireworks
- Halloween Parade
- Luminocity
Park Mark accreditation(s)
Park Mark is awarded to each car park which achieves the demands of the Safer Parking Scheme. This is a national standard for UK car parks which have both:
- low crime
- measures in place to keep people and vehicles safe
2022/23 saw the return of some of our car parks being inspected and assessed. Of our 40 car parks:
- 32 were retained
- 2 new accreditations were issued (Eastern Esplanade Car Park and Southchurch Park East Car Park)
This brings our total to 34 parking facilities that have this award.
Reducing cash transactions
One of the Council's goals in 2022/23 was to reduce the number of cash transactions for parking. Since the start of the pandemic, we have seen a continued increase in the number of “cashless” transactions over the years.
Percentage of cashless payments:
- 2022/23 - 78%
- 2021/22 - 77%
- 2020/21 - 64%
All our pay and display machines have a contactless card payment option. Similarly, there is the option to pay via our cashless provider, Mobon.
It is expected that this shift in customer behaviour will continue. This trend may be enough evidence to support the removal of cash (as a payment method) completely.
Paying to park by phone offers several added benefits, these include the ability to:
- have an SMS or email reminder when nearing the expiry of paid-for time
- top-up parking time without going back to the car
The Council also continue to offer the Southend Pass which can be paid for:
- monthly
- quarterly
- annually
It provides excellent value to customers. For full details, please view our Southend Pass page.
Abandoned and Untaxed vehicles
The challenge of abandoned vehicles is made up of several key factors. These include:
- the absence of excise tax
- visible disrepair
- significant damage
- a damaged appearance with accumulating debris
- in certain instances, signs of prolonged immobility
The public can report abandoned vehicles through our online form. However a large number of these reports do not meet the criteria for us to action.
In the financial year 2022/23, a total of 442 vehicles were reported as either abandoned or untaxed. However, upon assessment, only 18 were actionable by the Council.
The Council functions as an agent for the DVLA. We collaborate with our parking contractor to assist with the removal of untaxed vehicles from our highways. In partnership with the DVLA, our shared objective is to ensure that all vehicles parked on our highways possess valid road tax.
Our ongoing commitment is to be a city, free from nuisance vehicles, including both abandoned and untaxed vehicles.
This aligns with our broader goals of:
- smoothly flowing traffic
- enough parking spaces for all motorists
Our Vehicle Removal Policy is outlined on our Abandoned and untaxed vehicles page.