New Southend Pass options and trade permit available from April

March 24, 2022

Residents and visitors can benefit from improvements to the Southend Pass from 1 April 2022, with the discounted parking pass set to offer a new one and three-month purchase option.

This means that motorists will have the choice of signing up for either one, three or 12-month periods, and follows resident and visitor feedback that people would be more likely to purchase the Pass if they had the option to commit for shorter periods.

The Southend Pass gives motorists discounted parking, offering up to three hours parking per day, in each of the City’s four parking zones, for just £8.50 per month. The pass works out at just 28p if used daily, 85p if used ten times across a month or £2.12 if used four times a month.

Businesses and tradespeople working across the City can also benefit from reductions to the cost of a tradesperson permit. The permit will cost just £30 per month from 1 April, and allows tradespeople to park in any zone, including resident permit zones, when they are carrying out works on properties across the City. This reduces the number of visitor permits that residents have to provide tradespeople visiting their homes, and also gives more and cheaper parking options for tradespeople that work predominantly within Southend-on-Sea. The permit does not allow parking in public car parks.

The changes to the fees and charges form part of the approved 2022/23 council budget and will also see parking charges in Zone 1a (seafront from Chalkwell to Thorpe Esplanade) standardised at £2.50 per hour and all other zones having their parking charges frozen.

Car parks in Zone 3 will also have their hours extended, meaning motorists can now park in these car parks for up to 10 hours if they need to, as opposed to three hours. This gives residents and visitors increased parking options, with the aim of boosting trade and footfall in other areas of the City.

From 1 April, the Gasworks car park will also be known as Eastern Esplanade car park.

Cllr Steven Wakefield, cabinet member for transport, asset management and inward investment, said: “I am pleased that our updated offer for the Southend Pass will entice locals and also people from outside the City, to Southend-on-Sea. The one and three-month options are ideal for families that visit the City regularly in the summer months and I am sure will be popular. The prices give unprecedented value for money for a tourist destination, and I hope to see even more people sign up to the Pass in the coming months.

“Standardising the hourly charges on our Zone 1a seafront car parks will make this consistent with our other zones, and residents and visitors will now also have the option to purchase a one month pass for just £8.50 or three month pass for just £25.50, offering three hours of parking every day in each of our zones, helping parents in school holidays take their children out every day, for a low cost. This unrivalled parking offer will help us meet our aim of becoming the UK’s number one seaside destination.

“As we approach our first summer as a City, I am excited for what the future holds. We have a fantastic opportunity to drive forward with investment, and the future is certainly bright for the City of Southend-on-Sea.”

To view the updated highways fees and charges, please visit the council's website.