“Refined improvements” to the controversial Halstead High Street regeneration project are set to be made next year.

Braintree Council proposed a number of alterations for Halstead’s town centre earlier in the year, including narrowing the top of the high street, making changes to the parking time limits by having some bays for only half an hour parking, putting in an extra crossing at the top of the high street and rejuvenating the Jubilee Fountain area.

More than 2,000 people responded to a public consultation on the plans, with many complaining the ideas would impede traffic flow through the town, cause visibility issues at the mini roundabout at the top of the high street and drive shoppers away.

The consultation, which finished in September, led to the idea for 30-minute parking bays being scrapped.

Now, work has begun on improving the council’s ideas for the town.

A Braintree Council spokesman said: “Essex County Council Highways Department has recently conducted an engineering survey of Halstead High Street on our behalf.

“It required temporary traffic management to protect the work force doing the survey from passing traffic.

“This information will help us to refine our improvement plans for Halstead’s town centre following the public consultation of 2015.

“Once we have the survey drawings back we will continue working with Halstead residents and businesses through 2016 to produce a refined improvements plan.”