CONTROVERSIAL evening parking charges will be introduced in Southampton this autumn.

This afternoon, city council chiefs have given the green light to the scheme to extend charges in the city centre until 8pm.

That comes despite widespread opposition from business leaders, restaurants and theatres who claim it will hit trade at a time when they are struggling against the economic crisis.

Opponents have dubbed the plans, which will see charges of £2 introduced until 8pm in the city centre, a “tax” on Southampton's night-time economy.

With the council forced into making £16million of cuts this year, civic chiefs hope the new charges will bring in £200,000 a year.

Consultation was carried out earlier this year on the scheme, and the council has now decided to press ahead with plans to introduce charges of £2 up to 8pm on on-street car parking bays and £2 from 6pm to midnight in city centre car parks.

Multi-storey car parks which already charge in the evening will not be affected.

The changes will be brought in across the city centre pay-and-display zone.

As part of the overhaul, the authority has announced plans to reduce overnight annual car park season tickets from £250 to £150, and extend the maximum period of stay during charging hours in the central red parking area to two hours.

The charges will now be introduced in October.

As previously revealed in the Daily Echo, Hampshire Chamber of Commerce and the Mayflower Theatre are just two of the organisations to object to the plans.

Mayflower chief executive Michael Ockwell collected a petition with more than 2,300 signatures against the move while chamber of commerce chief executive Jimmy Chesnutt earlier this week issued a last-ditch plea for the plans to be scrapped.

But the cabinet unanimously approved the plans today.