SEAFRONT visitors could be forced to fork out up to £24 per day to park under new plans by a council for the next year.

Proposals have been announced to bring four parking zones across the Southend borough, with the highest zones at the seafront seeing a rise in hourly charges.

The new fees, if approved by cabinet and then full council, would come into effect from April 1 this year.

In zone 1A, which includes all seafront car parks in Southend and Westcliff, people would expect to pay £2.50 for an hour, which rises by £2 every hour to £8.50 for four hours, and for 24 hours rises to £24, for both on-street and off-street car parks.

Three and five-hour options would return to the town centre zone, 1b, with a flat charge of £1.10 an hour introduced.

The council has also unveiled the “Southend Pass” where residents can pay £8.50 per month and park their vehicles for up to three hours a day in each of the four zones.

Ron Woodley, councillor responsible for transport, inward and capital investment, said: “The last 12 months have applied unprecedented pressures on council budgets across the country. These pressures, alongside the 90 per cent reduction in government grants over the past ten years, means as a council we have to be self-sustainable, and we must look at ways of helping to fund services and highways improvements.

“Whilst we do not wish to increase charges too much, residents will be able to buy a Southend Pass and park for up to 12 hours a day across the four zones, for less than 28p a day, offering exceptional value.”

Charges in a new outer zone two would see charges of one pound for every hour, and charges introduced to four car parks in a new zone three with a maximum of £3 for three hours.

Charges will also be introduced at Southchurch Park East (zone two) car park, but the first hour of any here will be free for school drop-off and pick up only.

Small car parks at Hadleigh Road, Leigh Hill and Uttons Avenue (all zone two) will remain free.

Ten car parks will fall into a new district zone three, with £1 an hour parking charges introduced at four of them (Eastwood Boulevard, Pargat Drive, Rayleigh Road and Sutherland Boulevard).

All car parks in parks and sports grounds that are free will remain so, meaning the six other car parks in this zone (Cockethurst Recreation ground, Dalmatia Road, Eastwood Park, Jones Memorial recreation ground, St Laurence Park and Victory Sports Ground) will remain free.

The new charges are part of wider proposals which could also see £50m invested in improving roads and pavements over five years.

They will be discussed at the cabinet meeting next Thursday.