Suggestions for the future of Brentwood's North Service Road car park, including a possible major leisure or housing complex, have been slammed by retailers who claim the loss of car parking will create problems for the town's centre.

The ideas were two of many possibilities contained in a borough council review of the Brentwood Local Plan, which takes into account the key issues facing the town in line with government guidelines.

But John Edwards, of Brentwood Retail Action Group (BRAG), said: "Brentwood town centre is already short of adequate car parking to meet the needs of shoppers in the town. The parking that is there is expensive and poorly served by access roads making it a trial by traffic jam to park in central Brentwood.

"Within this review of the Brentwood Local Plan we should be looking to provide more car parking places, which are more easily accessible, rather than proposing a bowling alley, housing and a major cinema on the existing North Service Road car parks.

"It seems that once again Brentwood Borough Council is totally out of touch with retailer reality. We have small shopkeepers throughout the borough battling to stay in business and compete with the major stores, many of which offer free car parking to their customers.

"Instead of trying to help boost the local retail economy we have senior councillors proposing schemes which will prove a death blow to many of the smaller shops in the town centre."

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