Plans to scrap hourly parking and introduce half an hour bays in Halstead’s High Street could put people off shopping in the town, it is feared.

As part of a planned overhaul to the town centre, Braintree Council is considering narrowing the High Street, adding two pedestrian crossings and creating a new focal point near the jubilee fountain.

The authority has also suggested scrapping the current parking restrictions and introducing 60 per cent of bays with a two-hour duration and 40 per cent of bays allowing parking for just half-an-hour.

The proposals come after it was revealed that enlarging the pavements would mean losing up to ten parking spaces.

See this week's Halstead Gazette for the full story.