PLANS to close the esplanade to summer traffic as part of West Bay's regeneration have come under fire.

A ban on cars using the seafront road is included in the £1.25 million enhancement scheme recently approved by West Dorset District Council.

Under the plan access to the esplanade during the busiest months would be restricted to the disabled and harbour users. Out of season the areas would be reopened to all drivers.

Town councillor Roger Stoodley said the proposal was deplorable. He told the finance and general purposes committee that generations had been driving there to sit and enjoy an ice cream.

He said the district council had ignored the wishes of those people and the town council in stopping them from doing that.

Chairman Martin Ray said that during a site visit technical services manager Steve Woollard had declared he would stop people from just driving along the seafront and turning.

"I said I did that every day just to look at the sea and I don't see why people should be stopped from doing that," he said.

Coun Karl Wallace said the district would lose 45 parking spaces on the esplanade, which brought in important money.

Leader Coun Charles Wild said that during the public consultation on the scheme people favoured getting cars out of the harbour area and making it more pedestrian-friendly.

District Council local policy team leader Jo Witherden said: "This idea was supported by 90 per cent of people during local consultations. All drivers would be able to drive down and park on the esplanade out of season. We do not anticipate any loss of parking revenues as a result of this proposal."