Action is to be taken to prevent overnight parking by caravans and motorhomes on Brightlingsea’s Promenade Way.

Brightlingsea Town Council (BTC) has been looking at ways to stop long-term parking on the seafront road, with the issue of how to deal with a caravan (pictured) being parked there for months proving particularly difficult.

Two proposals have been put forward: creating ‘bays’ with weight restrictions and no overnight parking at a cost of £5,800; or putting single yellow lines along the length of the road with restricted parking between the hours of 9pm and 6am at a cost of £3,500.

Councillors agreed to fund either of the two options, which will be taken forward to a future meeting of the North Essex Partnership by a sub committee, with the exact wording of the restriction to be decided.

“We have to strike a balance between dealing with a persistent problem and also maintaining a welcome for tourists,” said Cllr Mick Barry.

Also at the full council meeting:

• An increase in the precept (the element of council tax that goes to the town council) of 4.1% was agreed. That will generate £259,875 for BTC in the 2026/7 year, resulting in a charge for a Band D property of £83.21, or 27.5p per month.

• Town mayor Chris Paveley clarified the council’s position on a recent planning application to use the former Oaklands care home in Church Road as a children’s home. BTC’s planning committee objected to the application, but Cllr Paveley stresses that this was because of a lack of detailed information about parking and other issues given by the applicant, not because the council objected to children’s facilities being based in the town.

• A member of the public asked a question about progress on the Bateman’s Tower café – which has now lain unfinished for six years. Cllr Dave Atkinson replied that “For the first time we’ve actually had a professionally-prepared programme up to the finish, so for the first time we’ve actually had something we can monitor against.”
He said that work should be “starting in the spring” with 15 “milestones” that have to be met.