A key planning document that will guide development of central Southend and the central seafront over the next five years has been given the go-ahead by a government planning inspector.
 
The Southend Central Area Action Plan sets out proposed planning policies by the Council for managing development and assessing planning applications in Southend Central Area through to 2021.
 
The Council has received the final report from the Inspector, Mr Mike Fox, who has carried out the independent examination of the Southend Central Area Action Plan. He issued the report following the examination hearing sessions that were held in May 2017 and after considering the representations that were made on the proposed modifications to the plan.
 
The Inspector recommends a number of proposed modifications to the draft – mostly proposed by the Council during the examination – and concluded that the SCAAP “provides an appropriate basis for the planning of the Central Area.”
 
This means that, if and when formally adopted by Southend Council, it will become part of the development plan for Southend.

Cllr Mark Flewitt, Executive Councillor for Housing, Planning and Sustainability, welcomed the inspector’s findings. He said: “I am delighted that the Planning Inspector has agreed with the soundness of this key document that will play a critical role in shaping future development in the town centre and central seafront.
 
“It has taken many years to reach this stage and we have listened carefully and responded to the differing views of local people and businesses throughout the process.
 
“We believe that, once adopted, the SCAAP will facilitate the new growth, housing, jobs and infrastructure that the Borough needs in a way that is sustainable and safeguards the local environment.
 
“The next step will be for the Council to formally adopt the SCAAP at our Full Council meeting in February, after which we can start using it.”
 
The full report from the Planning Inspector, along with the agreed modifications, can be found here: www.southend.gov.uk/scaap

Train operator c2c has announced a deal for £100m worth of new trains to be manufactured by Bombardier in its Derby factory.

The agreement will see 60 carriages of the latest Aventra trains delivered to c2c by the end of 2021, three years earlier than previously planned.

Each of the new trains is expected to operate in a fixed set of 10 carriages providing a 15% increase in capacity compared to the current 12-carriage trains.

The Trenitalia-owned operator introduced 24 new carriages on a short-term contract last year, and will continue to use this stock until the new fleet is delivered.

Responding to the deal, c2c managing director Julian Drury said: “This is excellent news for c2c customers and we’re delighted to have secured such an important long-term deal for local passengers and the local economy.

“We have accelerated our original plans for new trains because of the scale of growth planned in the boom areas of south Essex and east London, and these British-built trains will help ensure c2c is playing its part in unlocking those benefits to the economy.”

Rail minister Paul Maynard added: “These British-built Bombardier trains, which are coming into service earlier than planned, will provide much needed extra capacity for thousands of passengers across London and Essex, and also come with facilities such as wi-fi, air-conditioning and plug sockets.”

Originally the new fleet was planned to have a phased delivery, with the complete stock given to c2c by 2024. But Trenitalia – which took over the operator earlier this year – decided to speed up plans.

Bombardier’s UK managing director, Richard Hunter, remarked: “Our modern Aventra trains are proving ever more popular and this order will help transform the travel experience for c2c passengers and deliver 25% more seats to c2c’s fleet.
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c2c is also in discussions to lease additional carriages from December next year to fill the gap before new stock arrives – more details on this are expected next year.

Southend schools have once again soared up the national performance tables, coming 28th out of 151 local authorities for reading, writing and maths at Key Stage 2. This is a rise of 22 places from 2016.
 
The results released today show that 66% of local pupils reached the expected standards in reading, writing and maths, a major 10% increase from 2016 and 5% above the national average. Eleven per cent of pupils also reached the higher standard, again above national and regional averages.
 

• 75% reached the expected standard in reading, an increase of 8% compared to 2016. The national figure is 72%, an increase of 6% compared to 2016.
• 79% reached the expected standard in writing teacher assessments which remains the same as 2016. The national figure is 76%, an increase of 2% compared to 2016.
• 77% reached the expected standard in Maths, an increase of 6% compared to 2016. The national figure is 75%, an increase of 5% compared to 2016.
• 80% reached the expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling, an increase of 7% compared to 2016. The national figure is 77%, an increase of 4% compared to 2016.
• Southend were above the national average in all subjects in terms of achieving the higher standard
• For pupils with special educational needs, 17% of Southend pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, an increase from 9% last year. 
• 10% of pupils with a statement or Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan achieved the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, compared to 8% nationally.
• 50% of disadvantaged pupils in Southend reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, an increase from 40% last year.  This compares to a national average of 48%.  This puts Southend 43rd out of all local authorities nationally.

Cllr James Courtenay, Executive Councillor for Children and Learning, says: “This is great news and everyone involved in achieving this should be delighted. The council is committed to supporting every child and school in the Borough to be the best it can be, and to see increases in all areas is testament to the hard work of all teachers, governors, pupils, parents and the council.
 
“I am particularly pleased to see that 50% of disadvantaged pupils in Southend-on-Sea reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, a major increase from 40% last year.  This is also above the national average and shows that our commitment to close the attainment gap is starting to bear fruit.
 
“We will continue to work hard through the Education Board for example to improve standards and outcomes further.  Well done to all those who have been involved in achieving these results. It is great to end the year and look forward to 2018 on such a positive note.”

EasyJet is launching four routes out of Southend Airport to Bordeaux, Prague, Dubrovnik and Pula.

The flight to France will have three weekly frequencies once it launches on July 25 next year, while the twice-weekly Prague flight launches on July 27.

The two Croatian services will operate twice weekly with Pula commencing on July 27 and Dubrovnik the day after.
Once up and running, easyJet will be operating 20 routes out of the airport.

Sophie Dekkers, director, UK market, easyJet, said: “We’re delighted to be adding four new summer routes from London Southend Airport.

“This announcement of our expansion today highlights our commitment to providing affordable routes to summer holiday destinations.

“We’re sure that they will prove extremely popular for those looking for a summer break or visiting friends and family.”

Glyn Jones, chief executive of Stobart Aviation that owns London Southend Airport, added: “I am sure these new easyJet destinations will prove very popular with passengers from Essex and the South East - thanks to our partnership with easyJet, and other airlines, we now have a fantastic mix of more than 30 leisure and business destinations for people to explore.

“We’re also thrilled that the UK’s largest airline is investing in a fourth aircraft at London Southend Airport.

“It’s proof of our strong partnership with easyJet and demonstrates their continued confidence and commitment to providing an exemplary service for our passengers.”

Plans to deliver increased secondary school places from 2018 onwards are set to be fully delivered through expansions at existing secondary schools, rather than the building of a new school.
 
Eight local secondary schools have confirmed to the council that they are willing to expand to create 13 new forms of entry (FE) between them by 2020.
 
An additional 5 FE are needed from 2018, a further 6 FE in 2019 and a further 2 FE in 2020.  As previously discussed at the September 2017 Cabinet, Southend Council has been working on a combined plan of secondary school expansion and the building of a new free school on land adjacent to St Laurence Park.
 
Cllr James Courtenay, Executive Councillor for Children and Learning, says: “I would like to thank all Southend-on-Sea secondary schools that are supporting the shortage of pupil places from 2018 onwards by confirming their agreement to expand their schools.

“I am very grateful to our secondary schools who have worked with the Council to come to this solution which offers a secure way forward for the young people of Southend-on-Sea.
 
“I now intend to present a paper to the January 2018 Cabinet outlining the schools commitment, proposing that we no longer require a free school to meet the 2019 and 2020 places need, and recommending that the shortfall is met through expansions, which was always our preferred option.
 
"Whilst no longer needing to pursue a free school at this stage, we will continue our drive to improve science, technology, engineering and manufacturing (the STEM agenda), as well as links with the airport and other local businesses, with our existing schools and colleges in Southend to ensure our pupils are best prepared for the future workplace.”
 
The table below identifies the commitments from Southend-on-Sea schools:

Southend Council has announced free festive parking ahead of the Christmas shopping rush.
 
All 10 council run car parks across Southend town centre will be free on Thursdays after 4pm for late-night shopping and all day on Sundays throughout December.
 
Cllr Tony Cox, Executive Councillor for Transport, Waste and Regulatory services, says:  “We know how important the Christmas period is for local traders and that is why we are continuing to offer our free festive parking on Thursday nights and Sundays. I hope that shoppers and visitors will take advantage of this and help local retailers enjoy a bumper Christmas.
 
“Parking will also be free all day on Saturday 2nd December in seven council run car parks across the Borough as part of supporting Small Business Saturday, and I hope that local residents use this opportunity to shop locally.”
 
Free Sunday parking starts on Sunday 3 December and runs until New Year’s Eve. Car parks included are: Alexandra Street, Warrior Square, Seaway, Clarence Road, Tylers Avenue, York Road, London Road (behind Pizza Express), University Square, Essex Street and Short Street.
 
Free all day parking on Saturday 2 December to celebrate and support Small Business Saturday will also be available at the following car parks: Ilfracombe Avenue, North Road, Hamlet Court Road, Elm Road (Leigh-on-Sea), North Street, Ceylon Road and Thorpe Bay Broadway.
 
For more information please see Visit Southend website.