Radical changes to Southend town centre roads could lead to gridlock elsewhere, it has been claimed.

Southend Council unveiled its plans to transform the Queensway area of the town centre with new homes and road layout.

The council hopes to encourage traffic heading to Southchurch Road and to areas around Bournemouth Park Road to avoid Victoria Avenue and use Priory Crescent instead, but some councillors say the already busy junction will become overburdened.

Independent group leader Ron Woodley said: “I am fully supportive of of Queensway but it cannot be allowed to have a major impact on the roads further east of town.

“My main concerns would be putting more traffic around Priory Crescent, especially with the now proposed Fossetts Farm football development taking shape.”

Martin Terry, Independent councillor for Thorpe ward, said: “It is dangerous and irresponsible to suggest this traffic can be displaced down Priory Crescent without clear action to increase capacity on this already overloaded road. It will become gridlocked.” Milton ward councillor, Labour’s Julian Ware-Lane, added: “When we were talking about widening Priory Crescent it was struggling to cope with traffic flow so if they are looking to put more traffic through there now there will be problems.”

The A127 leading up to Priory Crescent has suffered from traffic pollution.

Jon Fuller from Friends of the Earth said: “The town has been taking the wrong direction for many years by failing to introduce plans to reduce cars coming into and out of the town.”

A Southend Council spokesman, said: “Plans for the Queensway road network have been developed very carefully and with extensive modelling and analysis.

“However, we do want to hear what people think before we seek a development partner next year. Visitbetterqueensway.co.uk.”