A new planning application has been submitted to Southend Council to bring the iconic Grand Hotel in Leigh back into use.

In February, property developer and TV reality star Mick Norcross finally acquired the freehold to the building, but said that his original plans for a £4.5m boutique hotel would need a “re-think”.

The new application seeks to convert the existing hotel into a mixed-use building comprising a basement wine bar and health club, ground floor restaurants and terrace, and 19 self-contained flats across three floors.

Mr Norcross said that the amount of investment required to repair the building – which has suffered from subsidence and invasive Japanese knotweed since it fell derelict a decade ago – means that the original hotel scheme is no longer financially viable.

In a statement, Mr Norcross said: “Following the assignment of a lease to the Grand, it was discovered that the Japanese Knotweed which was supposed to be eradicated pre assignment, was in fact still present.

“After a further four years of problems with Japanese Knotweed, the plans for the hotel were put on hold due to not being able to secure funding (because of the Knotweed problem). This meant that the building had fallen into a further state of disrepair, with extensive and costly building works to undertake due to ingress of water, failed rain water goods and subsidence to list but a few of the buildings problems.

“This left me with two choices: either walk away from this project and lose everything I had put into it, or try to purchase the freehold and engage professionals to assist in coming up with a viable scheme which would secure the future of the Grand for years to come.

“Following 12 months of negotiations with the Head leaseholder and the ultimate property owners in America, thankfully I was able to purchase the freehold in February of this year.

“We then engaged professionals to work with us and Southend Council on a new viable scheme through pre app advice to enable an application to be registered."

Mr Norcross said that if planning permission is granted in November, “work will commence very early in the new year, if not before”.

You can access the full planning application here (registration required)

Work began this week along the Southend coastline as part of a £3 million investment into improving local bathing waters by Anglian Water.
 
The scheme will take place between now and end of Spring 2017 and involves installing a number of new storm water tanks to trap more rainwater, reducing the number of overflows that occur during storms and enabling this storm water to be sent to be cleaned before it’s released to sea. 
 
Work will take place on Riviera Drive, Woodgrange Drive, Southchurch Road and Manners Way where there will be some road, pedestrian and parking disruption while the scheme is being completed.
 
Last year, over 70 per cent of the bathing waters in the Anglian Water region achieved the highest ‘Excellent’ standard, even in the face of the much stricter European standards introduced in 2015. Nine of Essex’ bathing waters were rated Excellent, many of which were awarded Blue Flags.

Jo Matthews, who looks after the coastline in Essex for Anglian Water said: “We have an enormous stretch of coastline in our region and caring for it is hugely important to us. This is why we run volunteering schemes like BeachCare to keep beaches clear of litter, it’s why we host events like the Love our Seaside Sand Sculpture event at Josceleyne’s Beach, and why we’ve been investing heavily in our coastal equipment for decades and have some of the most sophisticated coastal monitoring systems available. It’s also why we have specialist team focused entirely on beach water quality.
 
“This latest £3 million scheme in Southend will help to reduce the risk of sewer overflows affecting the coast and keep urban pollutants like dirt, car oils and chemicals out of the sea.”

It is these small but cumulative causes of diffuse pollution that are the biggest cause of poor bathing water in the East of England.  Diffuse pollution comes from different sources such as:

• Rainwater run-off from roads, roofs, pavements and farmland that washes pollutants such as chemicals, animal mess and litter into the sea
• Misconnected house drains, which have a massive combined impact by sending foul waste out to rivers and the sea as if it were rainwater
• Large populations of roosting birds that cause large quantities of droppings to enter the bathing water
• Dog mess
• Litter
• Trade waste
• Slurry from farms
• Animal waste from fields washing into watercourses when it rains
• Poorly maintained private cess pits and privately owned sewerage systems

 
Jo Matthews, continued: “We are working with local councils, businesses, farmers, and residents across the coastal region to pinpoint the causes of pollution and tackle them.  In addition to this latest investment, we’re spending hundreds of thousands of pounds more on this type of partnership work which is having such a positive impact, especially in places like Southend where this year three beaches won new Blue Flags compared to last.
 
“We will be working together to identify sources of diffuse pollution using state-of-the-art technology including CCTV, bacterial tracing, marine modeling, sampling and on-foot surveys of the coastal area."
 
Further information regarding the planned works that started on 15 August can be found on the In Your Area section of the Anglian Water website www.anglianwater.co.uk/your-area.

Leigh-on-Sea has been crowned the happiest place to live in Great Britain, due to a strong community spirit and sense of belonging, good access to sports and arts activities and opportunities to develop skills.
 
Rightmove’s annual Happy at Home Index asks residents to rate where they live based on 12 happiness factors, with almost 24,000 people taking part.
 
The study asks residents to rank twelve factors about their local area, with Leigh-on-Sea scoring high for community spirit and a strong sense of belonging.  Locals say there’s plenty to do as well as the town tops the list for good access to sports and arts activities and opportunities to develop skills. 
 
The twelve factors in the study range from how friendly the neighbours are and how much people feel that they can be themselves, to how good the local services are.
 
Councillor John Lamb, Leader of Southend Council, says: “This is brilliant news. We all know what a fantastic place Leigh-on-Sea is to live, and so it is wonderful to have this recognised nationally by the very people that live here.
 
“Leigh-on-Sea really does have something for everyone and I am not surprised this makes local people happy.  I know many residents who work in the city and they cannot wait to get back in the evenings and to be here at the weekend because of what the town has to offer.
 
“From the historic old town and its wonderful fishing heritage, beaches, traditional pubs and cockle sheds to the vibrant Broadway with its eclectic mix of independent retailers, restaurants, and bars, there really is so many opportunities to enjoy your spare time.  We are also blessed by great transport links across the Borough and into the city, good schools and wonderful parks and gardens that are so well kept and improve the quality of life for local people.
 
“Whilst Leigh-on-Sea has grown in recent years it has maintained its community feel and community spirit with numerous cultural and community events such as the Regatta, the nationally renowned Folk Festival and Leigh Art trail which are all led by the local community and very popular with people from across the Borough and beyond.”
 
Rightmove’s Research Manager Abiola Oni said: “Well it seems the saying that we do like to ‘be beside the seaside’ is true, whether you’re down in the South East or up in Scotland!  Obviously what ‘happy’ means to different people can vary greatly, but when you compare which the factors that score highest in the happiest areas, it shows just how important having friendly people in the local community area is alongside the services and amenities, which is something buyers often tell us when they are looking in new areas to live.  Space is also one of the most important things when people are looking for a new home, so it’s not surprising that places with open spaces such as beautiful parks and beaches have featured in the top ten.”  

Current operator Abellio has won a contract to run train services on the Greater Anglia route until 2025.

Abellio East Anglia won the contract despite rival bids from National Express and First Group, and despite long-term concerns from rail users about poor performance.

Announcing the deal today, the government said that Abellio would invest £1.4bn to provide a fully modernised rail service with British-built carriages providing faster trains, more seats, free Wi-Fi for all users and tough new performance targets.

For the Southend to Liverpool Street line, Abellio has promised the following improvements:

• New trains with free Wi-Fi from February 2019;
• 4 trains per hour between Liverpool Street and Southend Victoria (currently 3 trains per hour) and more frequent in peak times;
• 2 new fast peak journeys in each direction between Liverpool Street and Southend Victoria;
• earlier first and later late service between Liverpool Street and Southend Airport;
• an average 10% faster journey time when new trains are rolled out;
• a customer service regime that encourages the franchisee to be more agile and innovative in the way in which they strive for operating and passenger excellence.

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said: “We are making the biggest investment in the railways since the Victorian era. By awarding this franchise to Abellio East Anglia we will improve journeys for people in East Anglia.

“Abellio’s decision will ensure our train building industry in Derby remains strong. This is part of our plan to make an economy that works for everyone – not just the privileged few – by ensuring prosperity is spread throughout the country.”

Dominic Booth, Managing Director of Abellio UK, said: “This is great news not only for Abellio but for the whole of East Anglia. We are pleased to become preferred bidder to deliver a transformation in rail services across the region.

It will enable us to build on the successes of the 2 short East Anglian franchises we have run since 2012, and we commend the DfT in running a transparent and rigorous procurement process.

Our plans will greatly improve our customers’ experience with faster and more reliable journeys on new trains with higher frequencies and reduced journey times, to support the socio-economic well-being of East Anglia, one of the country’s most successful and fastest growing areas.

The new franchise will run from October 2016 until 2025.

Southend residents are being asked for their views on how Shoebury Common North’s recreational offer could be improved, as a local community taskforce develops its vision for the future of the Shoeburyness area.
 
Two outreach sessions are to take place this month, where local people can let officers know if and how they currently use the Shoebury Common North area and share their ideas about how it could be improved in future. Local people are also being encouraged to complete an online survey by 11 September at www.southend.gov.uk/shoeburycommonnorth
 
The Shoeburyness Coastal Community Team - a representative group of local organisations and stakeholders, set up through the Government’s initiative to see local Economic Plans develop for coastal areas across England - has a vision for Shoeburyness that it be recognised and promoted as a Coastal Park with a range of quality natural, cultural and heritage assets, with thriving local businesses and resilient local economy, excellent transport links and community facilities.
 
To support this vision, the Council is now looking at how the common is used and what could be done to provide an enhanced recreational offer for the local community, residents and visitors to the town throughout the year.
 
Cllr Ann Holland, Executive Councillor for Culture, Tourism & The Economy, said: “Shoebury Common North is a great environmental and recreational asset but more could be done to make it a destination of choice for local people and visitors alike.
 
“That’s why we are pleased to support the hard work of the Shoeburyness Coastal Community Team and give local people a voice in the future direction of the common.
 
“If you regularly use the common – or if you chose not to – we’d like to know why you like it, why you don’t and how you’d like to see its offer improved. The more people who take part in the consultation, the more able we will be to bring forward a plan for that accurately reflects the wishes of local people in any future funding bids.”
 
If you would like to request a hard copy of the questionnaire, please contact Culture Business Support on [email protected]
 
Both outreach sessions will take place on the car park area of Shoebury Common South, just off Shoebury Common Road, close to Uncle Tom’s Cabin. They take place at the following times. Pay and display car parking is available.
 
Workshop 1
Date: Thursday 11th August
Time: 12-3pm
 
Workshop 2
Saturday 20th August
Time: 9am till 11am