LONG-SUFFERING residents on a Southend estate close to the seafront could soon get permits to help them park closer to their homes.

Southend Council’s cabinet is set to sanction a review of parking on the Woodgrange Estate, near the Kursaal, where some residents and tourists are parking to avoid the cost of parking on the seafront.

The council introduced charges for evening seafront parking in July. A cabinet report says it is not thought this has had a significant impact on parking stress on roads away from the seafront but it acknowledges residents are finding it hard to park near their homes.

The council, in conjunction with Estuary Housing which manages the estate and residents, will review current double yellow lines to ensure the maximum number of spaces are available and could extend residents’ permits from other surrounding seafront roads if residents support it.

Matt Dent, Labour councillor for Kursaal Ward, said: “I’m very pleased to see that parking is going to be reviewed on the estate, as it is a significant issue for residents there. I don’t feel that this is a result of displacement from changes to seafront parking, as it’s been an issue for a long time.

“Parking permits are something which could be considered, but that would depend on support for them from the estate residents.

“The important thing for the review is to look at how parking is and isn’t working on the estate and the effect it is having on those who live there.”

The report said since the introduction of the evening charges, “no specific concern has been identified to suggest there is immediate displacement of parking from the seafront into the Woodgrange Housing Estate.”

It adds: “There is a residents’ parking scheme in place in roads surrounding the Woodgrange Housing Estate that protects the residents and which includes Beresford Road, Burdett Road, Burnaby Road, Arnold Avenue and Beach Road.

“Parking enforcement is undertaken daily to ensure customers using the central seafront area are complying with the parking charges in place. This enforcement activity has not identified an increase in non-compliance, but it is acknowledged that the locations with the highest levels of non-compliance around the Woodgrange Housing Estate area are seen in Beresford Road and Burdett Road.”