Tickets go on sale today for winter flights to Switzerland with SkyWork Airlines from London Southend Airport.

Flights will leave Southend four times a week (Monday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday) at 12.20pm (arriving in Bern at 4pm), with the return flight taking off from Bern at 12pm (arriving back in Essex at 12.50pm).

The new lunchtime take off and arrival time for winter (from 25 October) is being introduced to allow a more relaxed travelling experience for leisure passengers enjoying a trip to the capital city of Switzerland and beyond.

Jon Horne, Interim Managing Director at Southend Airport, said “The SkyWork Airlines flights have been very popular with our passengers since they started from London Southend in October 2014, and I am sure they will continue to be so. Bern Airport is just 10 km from the city centre and easily accessible by train or by car,  so it's an ideal starting point for trips into the Swiss mountains.”

Tickets are on sale now at www.flyskywork.com

House prices in Southend soared by another 10% last year as demand continues to outstrip supply.

The ongoing boom means that Southend remains in the top 10 areas for house price growth across the whole of the UK, according to analysis by Hometrack.

The average price across Southend in June 2015 was £173,699, with a detached property costing £361,688, a semi-detached costing £226,535, a terraced house costing £169,446 and flats going for an average of £120,388.

Property experts say the upward trend will continue as home buyers are priced out of London.

Richard Donnell, Research and Insight Director at Hometrack, said growth was “coming out of the cheapest parts of London and in the commuter areas”.

He said that lack of affordability in London was causing homebuyers to look at markets just outside the M25 area, where employment and earnings are growing and “there’s value for money in housing”.

He added that affordable and accessible markets like Southend will continue to increase.

Luton saw the greatest house price growth (13.1%), followed by Oxford (12.3%) and Milton Keynes (11.4%).

Prices across the whole of London rose by 10.1%, but prices in prime central London only increased by 1.6%, placing it in the bottom three of the house price index.

Changes to taxation, including stamp duty changes affecting the most expensive properties, are blamed for the slowdown in prime areas.

Nearly 50 new homes are to be built in Shoebury thanks to a development partnership involving Southend Council andPublic Sector Plc (PSP).

The former Hinguar School and Saxon Lodge sites will be regenerated to provide 13 converted apartments in the Old School building, 18 houses to the rear of the site and 15 new apartments in two blocks on the Saxon Lodge site, nine of which will be affordable homes in partnership with a housing association.

This will be the first joint development project between the council and PSP, which follows official completion of the legal arrangements with the chosen developer, Tern Developments Ltd. 

The project gained planning permission in April 2015 and will see the careful preservation and conversion of the locally-listed Hinguar School building, which originally opened in 1886.  Hinguar School was rebuilt on a new site as part of the Garrison redevelopment in 2012.

Hoardings are set to go up shortly and work will start on both sites in September 2015, with the first properties ready for occupation by autumn 2016.

Cllr Ron Woodley, Leader of the Council, said: “I am delighted that this redevelopment will shortly get underway following the official completion of contracts between the various partners.  The project will really showcase the flexibility of the Council’s development partnership with PSP which has enabled the Council to protect the heritage of the old school whilst bringing forward a sensitive and attractive new development on both sites. 

“We will see much needed new housing including a mix of houses and flats, including affordable housing and the sensitive conversion of the old Hinguar buildings will offer something really special to the local area.”

Southend Council has accelerated its project to replace all street lights in the borough with environmentally-friendly LED lamps after receiving a £13.3 million cash boost.

The council started replacing the borough’s 14,000 street lanterns last November. Now the £13.5m project will be delivered faster thanks to £5.1m funding from the Department for Transport and a further £8.2m bespoke financial arrangement with the Green Investment Bank. 

The project has also been extended to include all illuminated street furniture, such as lit signs, and replacing or refurbishing ageing street lighting columns.  A new central management system (CMS) will also allow the council to remotely manage its lanterns across the borough.

The new low-energy streetlights will more than pay for themselves within their lifetime through energy savings while generating carbon savings for the borough.

Cllr Martin Terry, Executive Member for Public Protection, Waste & Transport, said: “Bringing this popular project forward is a win-win situation. The sooner we replace every lamp in the borough, the sooner we can save money, reduce carbon omissions and provide residents and motorists with brighter, cleaner light. 

“Unlike many other authorities in the country, this council was determined not to plunge our borough into darkness as a means of making much-needed savings. Instead we listened to the voice of local residents and opted to invest in green technology as a means of saving money in the longer term. We’ve chosen a pioneering solution that shields residents from an increased fear of crime and poorer road safety that are often associated with turning the street lights out.

“We’re proud to be the first local authority in England to use the Green Investment Bank in this way, securing a favourable financial arrangement that will speed up this ambitious, innovative and hugely important project.”

Gregor Paterson-Jones, managing director of Energy Efficiency at the Green Investment Bank, added: “LEDs can last more than six times longer than standard bulbs. As well as delivering practical cost savings, switching all of the UK’s streetlights could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 475,000 tonnes every year. That’s the equivalent of taking over 200,000 cars off the road. This bespoke financial arrangement is specifically designed to help spread costs. Councils that make similar investments could benefit from immediate cost savings that help alleviate budgetary pressures.”

LEDs can provide 100,000 hours of light, compared with just 15,000 hours for standard bulbs.