Residents, businesses and community groups are invited to shape the development of Southend over the next 20 years.
 
Southend Council is hosting three local events to seek people’s views on a new Local Plan which sets out the council’s proposals to manage development of the borough and how it will assess planning applications for the area over the next 20 years.
 
Local Plans address needs and opportunities in relation to housing, the local economy, community facilities and infrastructure, such as roads and transport. They should safeguard the environment, enable adaptation to climate change and help secure high quality and accessible design.
 
Cllr John Lamb, Leader of Southend Council, said: “Having a good Local Plan in place is vital for the future of the town. It will determine where major developments take place across the borough over the next 20 years and will impact on where people will live, work and spend our leisure time.
 
“In Southend, we have a real challenge in providing the level of housing growth we need to meet future demand, so where and how we let residential development take place will be an important – but by no means the only – part of this consultation.
 
“Importantly, it will allow the town to grow in a sustainable way, so that we have sufficient roads, medical facilities and schools while protecting valuable green spaces.
 
“I feel passionate about Southend and I want the best possible future for its residents. I know this passion is shared by people I speak to across the town.
 
“Please share your views now to shape the sort of town you would wish future generations to grow up in.”
 
The draft Local Plan can be viewed and commented upon by visiting https://localplan.southend.gov.uk until 2 April 2019.
 
The three public events will be held at the following times and locations:
 

• Saturday 23rd February – The Forum, Southend Town Centre 09:30 – 17:00
• Wednesday 27th February – Thorpe Bay Yacht Club 13:00 – 18:00
• Wednesday 13th March – Leigh Community Centre 15:00 – 20:00

You can also buy hard copies of the document. Hard copies can also be viewed at the Civic Centre and all the local libraries within the borough.
Email: planningpolicy@southend.gov.uk

Post: Business Intelligence Officer, Performance & Business Support, Department of Place, Southend-on-Sea Borough Council, PO Box 6, Civic Centre, Victoria Avenue, Southend-on-Sea, SS2 6ER.

If you would like to be notified of future planning policy consultations, you can sign up to the council’s planning policy consultation database. Please contact planningpolicy@southend.gov.uk or telephone 01702 215408.

New planters, lighting columns and benches are being installed at the town centre end of London Road as part of a project to improve access and create a more attractive gateway to the town.
 
The work is part of the Southend Central Area Transport Scheme (S-CATS) and follows the reconfiguration of the highway and parking of London Road between Queensway and College Way as well as the introduction of new electric vehicle charging points.
 
A total of eight Corten steel lighting columns, which are designed to give a rust effect, were erected earlier this week together with seven complementary planters and seven benches. The planters will be planted with ivy within the next few weeks.
 
The landscaping scheme was the result of consultation with local businesses and marks the end of the first phase work along this stretch of London Road.
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Later phases of the project will focus on improving the section of London Road (from College Way to Victoria Circus) and then improving the Victoria Circus public area itself.
 
Cllr Andrew Moring, cabinet member for infrastructure, said: “I’m pleased to see work progressing on the landscaping of this important gateway to the town. The clever design allows us to introduce greenery to an area where planting trees into the ground was not an option due to the large number of pipes and cables beneath the road, as well as introducing attractive new lighting and seating.
 
“I’d like to thank all the local businesses who fed into the final design by sharing their ideas.”
 
Southend Central Area Transport Scheme (S-CATS) is a £7m project is being fully funded by the Department for Transport’s Local Growth Fund through the South East Local Enterprise Partnership (SELEP).
 
The first phase of S-CATS was completed in 2017 with £1m worth junction improvements on Victoria Avenue (Great Eastern, Carnarvon Road and East Street/West Street).
 
Phase 2 (just completed) is a £2m public realm and streetscape improvement scheme along London Road (between Queensway and College Way through to Elmer Avenue) to make this an attractive gateway to Southend High Street.
 
Later phases of the project will focus on improving the section of London Road (from College Way to Victoria Circus) and then improving the Victoria Circus itself. A much wider stakeholder engagement process is planned to develop design options for these phases.

Southend Council is set to approve the selection of Swan Housing Association as its preferred bidder for the major transformation of the Queensway area in central Southend.
 
Councillors will discuss the recommendation next week (Tuesday 12th February) and approve the setting up of a joint venture LLP between the Council and Swan that would enable collective delivery of the Better Queensway scheme.
 
The council started the procurement process back in March 2018. Several companies went through various stages of the detailed process, with Swan coming through the robust procurement process as preferred bidder.
 
The report details how their tender has met the requirements laid down by the council, including building more than 441 affordable homes on the site and how Swan will help to deliver not only the regeneration but also manage it for the long term.
 
Swan’s example scheme developed for the purposes of the procurement process includes approximately 1,600 new homes, of which over 500 will be affordable. The example scheme also maintains four lanes of traffic on Queensway, new green spaces and improved walking and cycling space, and space to play. It also incorporates a community fund and improvements to energy and sustainability.
 
If approved by Swan’s Board, the council’s cabinet and Full Council on 21 February, the next steps would be to work towards awarding the contract in the spring. Following the award of the contract, the joint venture would be formally created and a full masterplan prepared for the site. This will involve further consultation with residents, business and other key stakeholders, and submission for planning approval in 2020.
 
Councillor James Courtenay, cabinet member for growth, says: “Better Queensway is the biggest regeneration project we are undertaking in a generation and will seek to transform this vital area right in the centre of our town, delivering better housing, better living and a better place for both the current residents and those that will make central Southend their home in the future. This regeneration will help make this area a key entrance into our town centre and connect what will be a thriving new community with it and also help us to deliver a key part of our resident led ambition for 2050.

“We are delighted to recommend Swan Housing, an excellent organisation with great values, commitment to the community and vast knowledge and experience of the local area, as our preferred bidder.
 
“Alongside meeting all the key requirements for the project, they also offer far much more than that, including access to their other properties from across Essex and London.
 
“This is really just the beginning and there is much more work to be done. We are now collectively focused on the next stages, including contract award and then working with all range of stakeholders, including residents and businesses to prepare a masterplan for submission for planning approval.”
 
John Synnuck, CEO of Swan Housing Association commented: “We are delighted to have been selected by Southend-on-Sea Borough Council as “Preferred Bidder” for the regeneration of Queensway.  We’ve been taking on complex regenerations just like this for the last 25 years and our award-winning schemes show that we can not only build high quality homes of all tenures but also fantastic public realm including green spaces; we can tackle complex road and infrastructure challenges; and put in the commercial space and facilities needed to create successful mixed-use regenerations.
 
“I’d like to say to all the residents and local stakeholders at Queensway, that we are looking forward to working with you to develop a masterplan for Queensway which will make it a great place to live and work and a place where everyone in Southend wants to go. 
 
“Together with our joint venture partner, Southend-on Sea Borough Council, we will work with you to transform Queensway from an isolated, and aging estate into a thriving community right in the centre of Southend.  We’re experts at supporting residents and local stakeholders through regenerations and we will be there every step of the way, with Southend and South Essex Homes, to support you."

Two mini short-stay car parks are to be trialled on Southend High Street, with short-term parking spaces at another major central car park also increasing.
 
Southend Council has announced that its 14-space London Road North car park beside the Odeon cinema will be converted into a one-hour maximum stay car park with a fixed fare of 20p for half an hour or 50p for an hour. Meanwhile, a further 12 short-stay car parking spaces will be created at the site of the former Pitman toilets with the same charging system operating.
 
In addition, the one-hour parking band will be reintroduced at Seaway car park during the summer months, bringing more than 600 extra single-hour parking options to the town centre. Currently, single-hour parking is only available at Seaway in the winter months. Single-hour parking here will be priced at £1.60 from April to October and £1.20 from November to March.

The new car-parking changes are all due to come into force from 1 April and will operate on a trial basis for a year.
 
Payment will be possible at London Road North and Pitmans via cash, phone or the Mobon app.
 
Cllr James Courtenay, cabinet member for growth said: “While we want residents and visitors to stay longer in our town, I acknowledge that sometimes people just need to nip into town to grab a coffee or collect an order. 

“Indeed, Click & Collect shopping is an increasingly important market for some of our high street retailers and these new short-stay parking options should cater perfectly for that market. This is something that local businesses told us was important to them as we consulted over the 2019-2020 budget.
 
“Over the next year, we’ll be keeping a close eye on the take up of these new car parks and speaking to town centre businesses to see what impact they have on high street trade.

“We will also be doing more to promote use of the more than 2,000 single-hour parking spaces the town already has, both in council and private ownership.” 
 
One-hour parking in Southend town centre
 
Tylers Avenue and York Road Car Parks – 340 spaces priced at £1.10 for an hour
Short Street Car Park – 101 spaces priced at £1.10 for an hour
Seaway Car Park – 630 spaces priced at £1.20 for an hour (November – March) or £1.60 for an hour (April – October) commencing 1 April 2019
Royals Shopping Centre – 400 spaces priced at £1.10 for an hour
Victoria Shopping Centre – 670 spaces priced at £0.90 for an hour
Sainsbury’s – 340 spaces priced at £1 for an hour (reimbursed with minimum spend instore)
 
Road North (from 1 April 2019) – 14 spaces priced at 20p for half an hour or 50p for an hour
Pitmans (from 1 April 2019) – 12 spaces priced at 20p for half an hour or 50p for an hour
Southend Central Station (NCP) – 138 spaces priced at £1.70 for one hour
Luker Road (Britania Parking) – priced at £0.90 for one hour.
 
Half and single-hour parking is also available in on-street bays in the following streets within the town centre area:
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Alexandra Road, Alexandra Street, Baltic Avenue, Cambridge Road, Capel Terrace, Cashiobury Terrace, Clarence Road, Clarence Street, Clifton Terrace, Clifftown Road, Devereaux Road, Gordon Road, London Road, Nelson Street, Prittlewell Square, Queens Road, Royal Terrace, Runwell Terrace, Southchurch Road, Warrior Square, Weston Road, Victoria Avenue, Whitegate Road, York Road.