PITSHANGER Lane traders are celebrating after plans for a controlled parking zone were ditched.

Shopkeepers feared they would have been hit hard by the proposals which would have prevented parking between 9am and 10am and 3pm and 4pm in the lane and surrounding streets in Ealing.

As well as costing £600 a year to park their cars, they said it would have put off shoppers, such as those popping by for a morning coffee or buying groceries after dropping off or picking up schoolchildren.

After hearing the town hall's decision on Thursday (16), estate agent John Martin and chairman of the Pitshanger Village Traders' Association, said: “It’s fantastic news. We had a fantastic response from residents as well as traders. It was a resounding no with 73 per cent of the core area consulted dead set against it.”

Referring to how residents and traders saw off plans by Tesco to move in three years ago and the council dropping plans for pay-by-phone parking bays last year, he said: “Pitshanger has spoken again.”

Marion Doheny, manager of Pitshanger Playcentre, a charity which provides activites for pre-schoolers and support for parents was also relieved by the scrapping of the plans.

She said: “More than half of our parents come from neighbouring areas like Perivale and Greenford. They wouldn’t have anywhere to park. The parents stay with their children and the restrictions would have come in the middle of our sessions. Everyone is very happy that it isn’t going to happen."

The town hall was considering the restrictions because some residents had complained of commuters parking in their streets before heading to Ealing Broadway station.

Transport portfolio holder, Councillor Bassam Mahfouz, said: “There were very strong opinions on both sides and I’m delighted the consultation provided a clear response, which allows us to move on having listened to the views of local residents and businesses.

"We’ll now look to place yellow lines where some commuters are currently parking in dangerous locations and move ahead with our policy to open up limited parking spots to allow legitimate commuter parking nearer to Ealing Broadway, which we hope will alleviate some of the key pressures faced by local residents who had been calling for a CPZ."