The red route traffic enforcement lane in Coulsdon's Brighton Road is to be handed over to the council on June 18.

The long-awaited transfer from Transport for London (TfL) is expected to be followed by a complete removal within weeks.

The council is set to scrap the controversial parking system which has been blamed for the closure of shops in the area and a downturn in trade.

It is hoped once it is gone better parking facilities will trigger an upturn and give Coulsdon businesses a much needed boost.

Lee South, who owns Martin James butchers in Brighton Road, said: "It's what we have been waiting for since the bypass opened and it can only be a good thing. The more parking there is available the more people will come and shop."

Approval has already been given for an interim parking system before the red route is officially removed, with relaxed restrictions and arrangements for the changing of roadside signs under way.

Councillor Phil Thomas, cabinet member for environment and highways, said: "Residents and local traders have, for years, suffered the misery of severely restrictive parking regulations which, though necessary to keep heavy traffic on the move, had a stifling effect on life in the town centre.

"Once Brighton Road is in the council's hands, we'll be doing all we can to promote it as an attractive shopping centre in which people can go about their business in the sort of relaxed environment the town hasn't been able to enjoy for far too long."