About Southend

Southend is rising. After years of cliched Essex stereotypes, the City is seeing record levels of investment in capital and infrastructure projects which have created a thriving place where people want to live, to visit and to do business.

Over 7.5 million annual tourists have always known what's on offer, but a landmark investment in London Southend Airport and substantial improvements to major road routes have opened the doors to an even wider audience.

Traditional industries such as tourism and retail continue to thrive, thanks partly to major investment in transport and infrastructure as part of the Better Southend programme. Southend is also an important hub for financial and business support services, given it's close proximity to London, international connections through the airport and excellent value office space.

Emerging industries in the town are advanced aviation and engineering, creative/cultural businesses and health and medical technologies. Southend is a key partner in the development of the new Anglia Ruskin MedTech Campus which will provide one of the world's largest health innovation spaces for companies of all sizes, with the aim of establishing the UK as a global force in a sector worth £170 billion per year.

All of these industries are resourced from a local talent pool that benefits from four grammar schools, a £52m college campus and £26m university campus.

Southend-on-Sea has City status, and comprises the towns of Chalkwell, Eastwood, Leigh, North Shoebury, Prittlewell, Shoeburyness, Southchurch, Thorpe Bay, and Westcliff. The City is situated within the Thames Gateway on the north side of the Thames estuary 40 mi (64 km) east of central London. It is bordered to the north by Rochford and to the west by Castle Point.

In numbers

  • The borough is home to approximately 180,000 people
  • It has 6,500 businesses, which generate more than £2.6 billion of economic output
  • 7.5 million tourists visit Southend per year, generating estimated annual revenues of £335 million
  • £50 million is generated from overnight visits, and tourism supports more than 9,500 local jobs.​
  • Southend Business Partnership is a network of more than 350 local businesses
  • There are nine railway stations on two lines within the borough
  • The Liverpool Street line runs up to eight trains per hour from Southend Victoria to London Liverpool Street, via Stratford, in one hour
  • The c2c line runs up to eight trains per hour from Southend Central to London Fenchurch Street in one hour
  • The A13 connects Southend with London via Stanford-le-Hope, home of the new London Gateway super port, the M25 and London Docklands
  • The A127 connects Southend with London via Basildon, the M25 and Romford
  • There are seven miles of seafront
  • There are four grammar schools within Southend and two single-sex schools assisted by the Roman Catholic Church
  • South Essex College offers 30 degree courses matriculated by the University of Essex. The University has its own campus in Southend next to the college building
  • There are more than 80 parks and green spaces plus 14 conservation areas across the borough
  • Adventure Island amusement park on the seafront has more than 50 rides
  • Southend Pier is the longest pleasure pier in the world at 1.34 miles (2.16km) which was built in 1830
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