TRADERS and residents breathed a sigh of relief last night when council plans to abandon their controversial pay and display proposals were rubber stamped by the cabinet.

Redbridge Council was forced to bin the unpopular proposals after around 2,500 people signed a petition against it, while area committees representing wards across the borough overwhelmingly recommended the scheme to be dropped.

While campaigners celebrated victory last week when the council announced its intentions, the cabinet meeting at Redbridge Town Hall, in High Road, Ilford, last night, ensured that all existing pay and display zones will now revert to their previous hours of enforcement.

The scheme in George Lane, South Woodford, will change from 7am to 7pm seven days a week to 8.30am to 6.30pm Monday to Saturday.

Campaigner Michael Powis, 70, of Grosvenor Road, Wanstead, said at the meeting: “I welcome the council’s decision to not go ahead with pay and display.”

“Wanstead’s High Street has doctor surgeries, dental practices as well as other businesses that rely on their patients and patrons being able to park easily.

"We should allow the high street to thrive and abandoning this scheme will help do that.”

Councillor Michelle Dunn, cabinet member for highways, denied the council’s reversal on the policy was a u-turn, saying that she had always listened to the residents.

She added: “I think the responses [to the consultations of borough high streets] were very poor.”

The highest percentage of consultations returned to the council was 63 per cent, from businesses in Clayhall Avenue, in Barkingside, while Wanstead - where the strongest protest campaign was centred - returned just 37 per cent of its consultations.

However, the council was criticised for its handling of the issue.

Cllr Harold Moth, of Fulwell ward, said: “These schemes should have been sent to area committees [for consultation] in the first place. It would have saved us about £71,000 - which was the cost of the implementation of the scheme in some places and the correction of this.”

Cllr Dunn said there was support for resident parking permits and the council would act to implement this scheme where wanted.

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