Thank you to everybody who voted in our survey to find out which new shops you would most like to see coming to Southend. The top 12, in order of most votes received, was:

• John Lewis
• Zara
• Mothercare
• Toys R Us
• French Connection
• Gap
• Superdry
• Cafe Rouge
• Lush
• Apple Store
• Wagamama
• Karen Millen

We also received votes for Selfridges and Harrods, but that might be a bit optimistic!
We will now write to each of the companies you voted for to put across the case for investing in Southend. We will report any responses as and when we receive them.

From the Echo

VISITORS now have Southend in the palm of their hands, thanks to a new smartphone app.

Developed by the Southend Business Improvement District, OnSouthend is designed to help visitors get more from their trip to the seaside.

The app is pitched as an extension of the OnSouthend.com website, and is part of plans to make visitors’ trips more rewarding.

Dawn Jeakings, group chairman, said: “The app moves Southend further into the 21st century and will be a big success, as we move into the summer, when the town welcomes huge numbers of day-trippers and business travellers.

“It meets the needs of shoppers and other visitors when we’re doing all we can to support our town centre and seafront.”

Users will get exclusive offers and treats via OnSouthend.com and the app can direct you to your destination of choice.

Ms Jeakings added: “It’s a brilliant way to help you make the most of your time in the High Street or on the seafront, whether you’re a resident, work here, are visiting or considering taking a university place here. OnSouthend has it all.”

From the Echo

WORK has started on a 81- bedroom budget hotel, bar and restaurant on a key Southend seafront site.

Premier Inn hopes to be ready to open on the former gasworks site, in Eastern Esplanade, next winter, creating 65 jobs and regenerating a long derelict site.

John Bates, head of acquisitions for Premier Inn owner Whitbread Hotels and Restaurants, said: “Our contractor, Carter Lauren, has started on site on our Premier Inn and a 190-cover Brewers Fayre restaurant in Southend, regenerating the former derelict Esplanade House.
 
“Once completed, the hotel will help revitalise the seafront, driving significant investment and creating 65 jobs.”

The high-profile site has been a wasteland since the gasworks were demolished, but behind blue hoardings workmen have now started laying the foundations for the hotel.

The part four and part fivestorey building will be Premier Inn’s second seafront hotel as it already runs the Halfway House. The new hotel will have a 69-space car park and a Brewers Fayre restaurant on the ground floor.

The derelict former Esplanade House office block has now been removed from the neighbouring site, where the Robert Leonard Group has outline planning permission for another 64-bedroom hotel, four blocks of flats and some starter homes.

Robert Leonard Group managing director Perry Gamon said yesterday progress was being made on developing the Esplanade House site.

John Lamb, Southend Council’s deputy leader, welcomed news of progress on the Premier Inn site.

He said: “It’s great news work on the Premier Inn has started. It’s good to see the cranes and so on and the materials starting to go
in. It shows the confidence in the regeneration of our town and the investment being put into it to drive it forward and attract more investment. The word is getting out that Southend is open for business and it’s a good place to invest.”

Only one in six people back the Boris island airport plan which would entail closing Heathrow, City and Southend airports, according to a new poll.

In The ComRes survey of 2,000 people commissioned by Medway Council and Kent County Council 38 per cent supported an estuary airport. However, this figure fell to 16 per cent when people are told that existing major facilities would have to close as a result.

The findings come as the London Mayor tomorrow submits his final plans for an Estuary airport to the  government's aviation commission.

He has commissioned research from the Civil Aviation Authority showing one million people will be subjected to harmful noise if a third runway is built at Heathrow.

Local councils are opposed to his four-runway Estuary plan.

Cllr Rodney Chambers, Leader of Medway Council which with Kent County Council and the RSPB have opposed plans for an estuary airport, said: “No one disputes the need to invest more in aviation in order to ensure the UK keeps pace with demand and matches competition from abroad.

However, we strongly believe that plans to site a hub airport in the Thames Estuary is financially, geographically and environmentally wrong. It will waste tens of billions of pounds of taxpayer’s money for a project which is on the wrong side of London for the majority of passengers.

“This survey highlights the chronic lack of public support for the project. Most people will not back a scheme which closes other key airports including Heathrow and City and Southend Airports and it’s time we explore other, more sensible options. This should include how Stansted can be upgraded alongside improvements at the network of excellent regional airports which serve the UK and are not being used to their full capacity.”

All of Southend’s beaches have been awarded a prestigious Keep Britain Tidy ‘seaside award’.

This recognises and rewards beaches in England that achieve the highest standards of beach management and, in the case of bathing beaches, meet mandatory water quality. 

Lynn Jones, the Council’s Resort Services Manager, says:  “We are delighted to have picked up seven seaside awards which reflect the quality, management, cleanliness and safety of our beaches.

“To win a seaside award all beaches must meet the required European Union standards, which ours have for a number of years and continue to do so.

“All of our bathing waters reach the ‘mandatory’ level and some are moving towards the excellent category.  Our hard work with partners like the Environment Agency and Anglian Water will help to further improve the bathing water quality in the future.

“We are proud of our beaches and know how important they are to our tourism offer, so it is vital that they are safe, clean and with good bathing water quality.”

Richard McIlwain, Programmes Director for the charity Keep Britain Tidy, which is responsible for the Seaside Awards in England, said:  “We know that for many holiday makers and day-trippers clean, safe beaches, with good water quality and facilities are important factors in deciding which beach to visit and the continuing quality of management at these beaches is a real testament to the dedication, hard work and investment that Local Authorities and other beach managers put in year after year.

“The sight of the Blue Flag or Seaside Award flying gives visitors the reassurance that they’ll have a great time.”

In total, 112 beaches across the country have been awarded a seaside award.

For more information visit: www.keepbritaintidy.org.

The new shops moving into the Victoria Centre in Southend are unlikely to generate much excitement.

Southend is booming and people have money to spend, but pound shops, pawnbrokers and e-cigarette retailers are hardly going to draw shoppers away from Lakeside or even Basildon.

Southend Rising usually welcomes any new business arriving in the town, but in this case we think it is a backward step that will only serve to reinforce negative stereotypes about the High Street.

Take part in our survey below to tell us which stores you would like to see moving into the town. We will then write to all the stores mentioned, to put across the case for them investing in Southend.

The next Southend Business Partnership Briefing will be held at Park Inn Palace on Thursday 19th June 2014, 8.30am to 10.00am.

The day will include a Market Place with stalls covering a range of banks and funding organisations. This will be available from 10.00am until 12.00am; giving you a chance to discover the different funding opportunities that are available for your business.

The latest news in Southend will be presented by Rob Tinlin, Chief Executive, Southend Borough Council and the keynote speaker will be announced soon.

Brooks Newmark MP, small business ambassador, will also be at the briefing. You will also have the opportunity to post some questions to him and to a panel of local business and council representatives.

There will be time before, and after, the briefing for you to network with other businesses along with speaking to the funding organisations and banks.

There will also be an exciting announcement which could provide local businesses with a great opportunity to assist with company growth.

Registration will start at 07.30am to provide you with an opportunity to network before the briefing starts. If you are unable to attend the Business Briefing and you have booked a ticket, please contact the Economy and Tourism team as soon as possible.  

You can book your ticket here.

From the Echo

CHIP shop entrepreneur Paul van Looy’s plans to open a Fifties-style American diner in Southend have been given the go-ahead by Southend Council.

Mr van Looy, who has long run a string of successful fish and chip shops in the town, has been given planning permission to open a diner in the former Majestic Wines shop, in Southchurch Road.

Mr van Looy, who is an Independent borough councillor, representing St Luke’s ward, plans to invest £150,000 into fitting out the shop with a jukebox, booths and other items specially imported from the United States.

David Garston, Conservative councillor for Southchurch, said: “As the councillor for this part of Southchurch Road, I very much welcome this application. Southchurch Road has been a worry over a number of years. It had quite a depressing time a few years ago, but investment has flowed back in.

“It has gone the way of Hamlet Court Road and it’s getting some good restaurants.”

Mr van Looy, who took no part in the discussions or the vote, since he had an interest in it, hopes to have the diner open by July.

When hundreds of bikers descended on the seafront at Easter for the annual Southend Shakedown, the event was hailed as a triumph.

Visitors poured in, traders enjoyed a bonanza and the sun was shining.

Derek Jarvis, Southend Council’s cabinet member for culture and tourism, said: “From a visitor point of view to see so many people here enjoying the seafront, I can’t think that’s anything but a good thing for the town.”

Fast forward a few weeks, and this was Councillor Jarvis’ response when asked about the possibility of an event for cruisers in Southend: “I’m sceptical it would have any great advantage on days which are already extremely busy.”

It’s bizarre to hear the man responsible for tourism so dismissive of an event that could potentially draw thousands of visitors to the town, but the cruising community is still lumbered with a bad reputation that’s almost as outdated as the Wayne and white stiletto stereotypes.

Perhaps Councillor Jarvis and other critics have watched Fast and the Furious and fear the seafront will be taken over by Vin Diesel lookalikes drag-racing muscle cars past the 20mph speed cameras.

This is nonsense. The vast majority of cruisers are perfectly responsible people who invest time and money in their cars and love nothing more than showing off their pride and joy to an appreciative audience. They don’t get drunk and they don’t get high.

Banning popular activities merely drives them underground, which does cause problems.

Why can’t Southend Council, the police and the cruising community have a discussion and organise a legal, safe and professional event that would undoubtedly draw visitors to the town and benefit the local economy. Perhaps there could be a charity element to it as well, to make it even more worthwhile.

If it causes trouble then review the situation and, if necessary, cancel future events, but at least give it a go.

If the council and police are still unwilling to support an event, then the cruisers should rebrand themselves as “classic car enthusiasts”, and then they’ll be welcomed with open arms.

From the Echo

PLANS to build new family homes and offices on a Shoebury park have been submitted to Southend Council.

Garrison Developments has applied to build 172 two, three and four-bedroom houses and office blocks up to four storeys high, on Old Gunners Park, off Ness Road.

The land was earmarked for business and commercial use when the Shoebury Garrison masterplan was drawn up in 2004, but Garrison Developments, which bought the 18-acre site in 2010, now wants it for housing.

Rumours about the development surfaced last year, but have now been sent to the council for consideration.

Paul Denney, technical director for the Chelmsford-based firm, said: “This application is the result of significant consultation with the council and local residents, who have made clear their preference for a residential-led development, rather than largescale industrial use for the site. It will mean new family houses with gardens, rather than warehouses and HGVs.

“The proposals will also see a large area of public open space, much bigger than you would normally see and more appropriate commercial property which provides new office space for small and medium-sized businesses to start up in Shoebury and create jobs.”

The area, which is bigger than 13 football pitches, is divided into two sites.

Three-and-a-half acres of grassland between the playing fields of Hinguar Primary School and Magazine Road, would hold 55 homes.

A larger, 20-acre site, bordered by Ness Road to the east, Campfield Road to the north and New Barge Pier Road to the west and south, would be divided in two.

The southern half would hold 117 homes and the northern half, on which Southend Council is storing 44,000 tonnes of mud earmarked for the controversial Shoebury Seawall, would hold 15,000sq m of office space in two, three and four-storey blocks.

The homes, which would be similar in style to new properties built on the Garrison, with offstreet parking and gardens, would be accessed via entrances already laid out, off New Barge Pier Road and Magazine Road.

The homes and businesses would also be raised to protect them from flooding that occurs roughly every 200 years.

About 4.5-acres of landscaped public space would be created around a drainage ditch to the west of the site near Ness Road to protect the area, which is prone to flooding from the River Shoe, as well as the sea.

The area south of New Barge Pier Road and the Gunnery Hill development would remain as a nature reserve.

Mr Denney said: “This application is about asking the council to consider the principle of this alternative use, instead of industrial sheds and warehouses.

“It gives residents reassurances about the number of homes that would be proposed, how vehicles would access the site and the amount of public open space.

“No construction will take place until further detailed planning applications are submitted.”

An enterprising scheme prompting Southend residents to travel more sustainably has clinched a further £80,000 Government cash boost.

Southend Council is among just nine other authorities across the country to win a special grant to support sustainable travel initiatives.

This will build on the popular and successful Ideas in Motion scheme which has already helped thousands of families discover other means of reaching their usual destinations without relying on their cars.

Over the past year, the Southend community organisation, Turning Tides has been working with Ideas in Motion to give residents personalised advice with viable alternative ways to travel.

Advisers sit down with residents face-to-face, to discuss bespoke and sustainable routes for their regular journeys, such as from office to home, or from the supermarket to school.

Turning Tides Team leaders Hayley and Lee and their group of volunteers bring with them a wealth of local travel knowledge and innovative solutions.

So far they have already visited nearly 13,000 homes, and thanks to the new grant, now aim to give Personalised Travel Planning advice to around 12,000 households – at least 7,500 people who live along the key A13 public transport corridor connecting Leigh to Southend Town Centre

The Council’s Group Manager for Strategic Transport and Planning Policy, Paul Mathieson said: “We were delighted that the extra funding can help us continue this very successful scheme.

“Residents really value the personalised approach to help them make sustainable travel plans to suit their circumstances. This direct community engagement can also help meet other needs too.

“In one instance, an 81-year-old resident told our doorstep survey team she frequently had to wait longer than expected for a bus as she could not read the timetable at the bus stop. These long waits meant she would often return home without making the journey at all.

“The Travel Planner also told the resident about Turning Tides ‘Safe as Houses’ project which delivers crime prevention advice to Southend residents aged over 60.

“They then arranged a special visit for a team member to work through the bus timetables with her. This has minimised her waiting times for buses, and, armed with a variety of bus timetables, she can now make more frequent journeys around Southend and can venture further if she wishes.

“The following week she received her Safe as Houses home visit as requested, offering security and safety advice.

“A further referral was then made to Essex County Fire & Rescue Service to provide her with free smoke detectors as her existing ones did not work.

She later wrote to us saying: “Thank you for sending that charming young man to advise me about Travel & Safety. It was very interesting and I enjoyed his visit enormously. The timetables are useful, I shan’t have to stand in the wet and cold for too long now.

” I have my purse safely fastened on a chain and a message in a bottle in my fridge.

“The fireman arrived as promised and I now have two smoke alarms. Also, when he learned that I was very deaf, he installed a light beside my bed. I feel very safe now providing I take the precautions I have been advised.

“This has made me feel that I am still a valued member of the community whose needs will be catered for. Again, I thank you very much for all your kindness and attention.”