A WHOLESALE review of parking restrictions in dozens of streets across Epping has been put online by the county council.

Tension over parking has been building for months in the town with commuters dumping their cars in residential streets, a lack of parking at the Tube station and along the high street, and speeding on roads where restrictions are in place.

But after months of work Essex County Council has given the public just two weeks to respond to the proposals, which will include double yellow lines, resident parking and restrictions between certain hours.

Simon Cowell, 36, and his neighbours on Chapel Road have been campaigning for double yellow lines to be installed at the junction of Ashlyns Road and St John's Road, to prevent what they say is dangerous parking.

He said: “It is so frustrating trying to contact the relevant people to ask a question. The telephone number given, there's no one there to speak to. And if you send an email you receive an automated response saying someone will respond within ten days, but that's no good when the deadline is July 3.

"The proposed plan for our street shows yellow lines to be installed with restrictions between certain hours. But a lot of residents commute so what are we meant to do with our cars during this time?

"Across the road there is a disabled spot for a couple who are very old, but in the plans they are going to remove it and replace it with double yellow lines so they can't park outside their house."

The County Council is conducting the review for Epping Forest District Council, in response to complaints from residents and businesses about restrictions which were implemented during August 2007.

Alex Edwards, 31 from Theydon Grove also said she had not heard about the review until now.

She added: "I don't know if I will have time to sort out a response within the next few weeks, but I do want to respond to it and I will have to make time. It's the first I've heard about it."

A spokesman for the county council said: “All existing disabled will be incorporated into any proposals that are developed as a result of the parking review. Because of their relatively small size and the large number of disabled bays it proved impossible to show the location of every one of them in Epping on the consultation document.

“The council intends to change its standard email auto response for those responding to the consultation to state that all written views are taken into account but an individual response cannot be given due to the volume of correspondence.”

To view the plans click here