An angry trader has claimed Southend Council had "double-crossed" firms at Victoria Plaza by handing control of the walkways to the shopping centre's owners.

Jack Wilson, partner of Higgs Leathers, said businesses were outraged by the recent decision to give responsibility for the walkways to Bourne End.

Bourne End still has to get planning permission to convert the walkways into private forecourts and traders have now begun lobbying councillors and MPs.

They fear Bourne End will increase service charges paid by businesses in the centre, when the money should come from rates already paid to Southend Council.

Mr Wilson, who runs one of the only two firms still in the Plaza after the shopping centre opened in October 1969, said: "The council has taken the business rates over the last 30 years we pay and done absolutely nothing.

"Now they are off-loading the responsibility for the pavements to somebody else and we are going to bear the brunt of it. The council has double-crossed us. They have taken all our rates money and they have not done a thing."

He also said traders were very worried about the future and they feared they could pay even higher service charges to fund a revamp of the walkways. The fact that Bourne End wants to sell the Plaza has added to traders' worries.

Mr Wilson added: "We are trying to do everything we can by lobbying our councillors and bringing it to everyone's attention including our MP Sir Teddy Taylor ."

Council deputy leader, Roger Weaver, (Con, Eastwood), who is executive councillor for planning transportation and engineering, said: "To suggest the council has some sort of double-cross is simply inappropriate. We have recommended the application from the company on the advice of officers.

"There has been no double-cross because there was never a deal with the traders. We are keen to make sure that business benefits under this administration."

The council agreed at a recent ratification committee to hand over control of a 1.2m wide strip running through the Plaza centre which was technically a public footpath.

Public access through the centre will be maintained through a legal agreement with the owners, Bourne End.

However, the change of use from a public footpath to a private forecourt still has to get planning permission from the council.

Anyone who wants to make any comments about the planning application should contact the development control department before July 27.

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.