Latest news from Southend Rising

Work underway to improve a key Southend gateway

20/2/2019

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.

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.

New route to Guernsey takes off from Southend Airport

25/1/2019

Blue Islands, a Flybe franchise partner, has today announced it will launch new daily flights to Guernsey from London Southend Airport, starting from 20 May 2019.

Tickets are on sale now at www.flybe.com. All ‘Just Fly’ seats are £29.99 one way, when booked by 30 Jan. From 31 Jan onwards fares will be from £29.99 one way.

The new service will be operated on 68-seat Blue Islands ATR 72-500, with flights taking just 75-minutes.

Glyn Jones, Chief Executive Officer of Stobart Aviation, owners of London Southend Airport said “We are delighted that Flybe franchise partner Blue Islands, has chosen London Southend to provide a new route to Guernsey from our fast growing airport. We have now launched an incredible three new routes in January alone. With our own railway station just 100 paces from the terminal door, up to six trains an hour into London in under an hour and our award-winning customer service, we expect our latest route to the Channel Islands to prove very popular with passengers from London and the South East.”

Rob Veron, Blue Islands CEO: “As a Channel Islands based airline, Blue Islands is proud to launch a new daily service from London Southend to Guernsey, making it easier than ever to discover our beautiful island. Equally, the service offers Guernsey residents an effortless way to arrive in London thanks to London Southend’s excellent train connections to central London.”

Stobart Group planning second hotel at Southend Airport

16/1/2019

Stobart Group today announced plans for a second hotel and other major improvements as it celebrates 10 years since the acquisition of Southend Airport.

At a special event to mark the milestone, Glyn Jones, Chief Executive Officer of Stobart Aviation, owners of Southend Airport, said “As you’d expect from London’s fastest growing airport, we’ve seen a lot of change over the last 10 years - and we’re planning for even more change over the next 10. That’s why today we have not only considered our achievements to date, but also looked forward to what the next 10 years could bring – for both London Southend Airport and the airport industry.”

The runway is currently being resurfaced to allow a greater variety of plans to operate from the airport, ahead of the arrival of new partner Ryanair in April. There are also plans to extend the terminal, introduce self-service Bag Drop and increase the food and beverage outlets on offer to passengers. In 2009 when Stobart took over LSA there were just 3,000 passengers a year using the airport – in 2019 there is expected to be 2.5 million.

Mr Jones also revealed the airport will be submitting plans to build a second hotel, commenting: “As we get bigger, we also want to get better – unlike other airports we have absolutely no intention of letting the passenger experience slip as we grow, we want it to improve. We will continue to invest in great people, use big data to understand our market and embrace technology and partnerships. We are absolutely determined to retain our title of Which? ‘Best Airport in London’, which we’ve been named 5 years in a row.”

The airport also joined forces with the start-up hub Founders Factory to invite six exciting companies to join the event for a series of quick-fire presentations that explained the opportunities for change and demonstrated the new technology being developed in the travel industry.
Companies taking part included Dronomics (the first strategic partner for IATA's drones initiatives), ChargedUp (the ‘Boris Bike’ of mobile charging) and Car and Away (the AirBnB for car owners).

Alice Ferrari from Founders Factory said “London Southend Airport and Stobart Group are key partners of easyJet and we have all been working together to bring innovation to the airline industry. Today has been really exciting to see how lots of different key stakeholders are intrigued and so welcoming of innovation and new ideas.”

Southend Pier and roads targeted for major investment in council budget plans

11/1/2019

More than £35m of new projects are being put forward by Southend Council as part of its draft capital budget proposals for 2019/20.

In addition to existing schemes already ongoing or planned, this would give the council a capital investment programme of £177m for the next four year period, including over £18m of investment into the Pier, £26.3m investment into improving roads and pavements, £3m for community safety improvements and £1.2m on parks and open spaces.

An additional £36.5m worth of new projects are also included in the draft programme, but will be subject to external funding and detailed and viable business cases being prepared and approved, including up to £20m for commercial property purchases over the next three years, £10.5m for a new pavilion deck on the end of the pier and £1m for the refurbishment of the Cliffs Pavilion in summer 2020.

The capital budget, which is separate to the council’s day to day revenue budget, is used to make one-off investments in things like regeneration and housing projects, and to carry out essential improvements to leisure and cultural facilities and ICT systems. Funding is raised from a mixture of external funding, reserves and borrowing.

The proposals for new projects include £3.25m over the next two years to replace ageing Pier trains which were introduced in 1986 with a predicted 20 year lifespan and an additional £3m over three years to fix more pavements and roads.

Safety measures are also a big new investment, with a further £2m proposed to continue to upgrade the borough’s CCTV system and install new cameras in key locations following a recent consultation.

A new children’s residential care home, new public toilet provision, better traffic management and car park improvements are some of the other projects highlighted for new investment in the draft budget.

Over £20m is also being added to the capital programme from 2021 to 2024 for investment in the council housing stock, which will be funded through the housing revenue account (HRA).

Cllr James Courtenay, Deputy Leader of the Council, says: “Capital and revenue budgets are two entirely different things and we have a duty to fund essential things like ensuring we can look after our most vulnerable residents, and also ensure that facilities like the Pier and Cliffs Pavilion, which are a source of pride and joy for so many, are invested in and safeguarded for the future. Financially we have tightened our belts, but this must not be to the detriment of our future vision for Southend-on-Sea and our plans must remain bold and ambitious.

“The resident and stakeholder led ambition document Southend 2050, has helped us identify the type of town our residents and stakeholders want to see. With feedback from more than 35,000 people, it helps us to focus both on the work that is needed now, but also over the next few years, to help make those ambitions a reality.

“This can be seen with more investment in things that are important to people in the here and now, including fixing more roads and pavements, investing in more public toilet provision in the seafront area, and ensuring our housing stock is up to decent homes standard, but also looking to the future with investment in the Pier and the Bell junction for example.

“The proposals in this draft capital budget will make a real difference to important local facilities and infrastructure and shows that we are open for business and here to do the very best for local people and businesses.”

If all external funding and viable business cases are approved, then the capital investment programme could be £229m for the period of 2019/20 to 2023/24.

Other investment within the capital programme and already allocated includes £12.7m for the ongoing secondary schools expansion programme, £24.8m for the continued development of Airport Business Park Southend, £11.5m for the delivery of a new 60 bedroom care facility and day centre and £1.3m for the continued construction of affordable housing on housing land.

There will also be a business and voluntary sector budget consultation event on Thursday 17 January at Holiday Inn, Eastwoodbury Crescent starting at 8.30am (registration from 7.30am). This will give local businesses and stakeholders the opportunity to hear an insight of the 2019/20 budget.

Leigh-on-Sea named happiest place to live in Britain

29/11/2018

Leigh-on-Sea has been crowned the happiest place to live in Britain for the second time in three years after topping Rightmove's 2018 Happy at Home Index.

The town originally took top spot in the 2016 index, and has climbed back into first place again this year.

The findings follow a survey of more than 21,000 people by Rightmove, which asked people how happy they are with where they live across 219 areas in Britain, based on factors such as community spirit, feeling safe, earning enough money to live comfortably, proximity to green spaces and amenities, friendliness and artistic and cultural activities.

Leigh-on-Sea scored highly for community spirit, the opportunity to develop skills, and restaurants and shops.

Valerie Morgan of Leigh-on-Sea Town Council said: "We’re all quite friendly here. People like to pass the time of day with one another, rather than ignore each other. There is also quite a large dog walking community down here so there’s lots of social interaction and people stopping and chatting to each other.”

Rob Cooke, director of Hunt Roche estate agents in Leigh-on-Sea, said: “There is just a lot going on, there are some pretty trendy parts of Leigh-on-Sea.”

The 10 happiest places to live according to Rightmove’s survey:

1. Leigh-on-Sea, East of England
2. Farnham, South East
3. Monmouth, Wales
4. Christchurch, South West
5. Leamington Spa, West Midlands
6. Newbury, South East
7. Macclesfield, North West
8. Hitchin, East of England
9. Tunbridge Wells, South East
10. Kendal, North West

Commemorative poppy garden opens at Southend Airport

9/11/2018

A Community Garden featuring 2,000 red ceramic poppies made by hundreds of children from 25 schools across Southend has been unveiled at Southend Airport this week.

The dramatic installation on the lawn in front of the terminal building is in the shape of a poppy, with its four large petals each consisting of 500 hand-crafted poppies mounted on green bamboo sticks. It is the same flower as the Royal British Legion Poppy, sold annually to raise money to help service men and women from the conflicts of the past 100 years.

Unveiled just ahead of Remembrance Sunday (11 November), The Commemorative Community Poppy Garden is a special dedication to remember the fallen of Southend and Rochford, who lived and served their country in its time of need a century ago. It is particularly poignant the garden is located here, as it was actually the First World War which saw the creation of the site as a base for flying.

Glyn Jones, CEO of Southend Airport, says “The Poppy Garden is a wonderful project that has involved people of all ages from our local community coming together to pay a very special tribute to the memory of those from Southend and Rochford who gave their lives in the service of their country. It is hugely important to us that the airport is at the heart of the community and engaging with everything that is going on locally, that is why we are very honoured to host the Poppy Garden.”

The Poppy Garden is extended inside the terminal with a huge tapestry created by Ali Ward, a former costume designer for Merchant Ivory films (including Room with a View) who is now artist-in-residence at Kingsdown Special School. She and her pupils created the monumental artwork by recycling discarded red T-shirts and weaving them into a piece that gives thanks to the hundreds of service personnel from the Royal Flying Corps who were stationed at LSA during the Great War when it was called Rochford Aerodrome.

Ali says “This has been such a lovely project as so many people have wanted to be involved. The children have loved choosing their fabrics and weaving the poppies, and all of them have got involved, from ages 3 to 14. Our parents have donated loads of fabric and given their time to cut it and to weave too. I think it is important that 100 years on our children are still learning about the sacrifices that have been made and are still being made to keep them safe, especially these children and their families, who fight many battles themselves.”

Local artist Esme Taylor has been working hard to make the garden a fitting tribute to the local people who fought in the Great War. She said: “Having recently experienced my son’s radiant face as I gave him his great, great grandfather’s WW1 medals I realised the power they had on an 11-year-old who knows very little of the heroes who fought for the young of today. It is so important to educate the next generations about remembrance and real heroes of the past and present. Our aim is for the community to come together and enjoy the art work of local artists young and old in a place to reflect and to remember the war heroes and our own personal heroes we have loved and never forgotten.”

The Poppy Garden will remain in place until Thursday 22 November 2018.

Figures show tourism is booming in Southend

30/10/2018

Visitor numbers to Southend reached a record high in 2017, according to a new tourism assessment.

The key results from the 2017 Economic Impact Assessment – an independent assessment conducted by tourism insights experts Destination Research - has shown that tourism in Southend reached new heights in a record breaking year.

Key results show that:

More than 7.5 million trips were undertaken in the area, an increase of around 500,000 from 2016
£335m was spent by tourists, an increase of £22m from 2016
9,587 jobs supported for local residents, an increase of 607 from 2016
£50m generated from overnight visits, an increase of £2m from 2016

Cllr James Courtenay, cabinet member for growth, said: “Figures from the recent Economic Impact Assessment reveal Southend’s tourism economy continued to go from strength to strength last year. The council has worked closely with our partners, such as Southend BID, to entice day-trippers to the borough and encourage them to stay longer.

“I’m pleased to see an increase in number of trips, number of overnight visits, money spent in the borough through tourism and also more tourism jobs filled by local people. This is all fantastic news for the town.

“So far this year we have also seen record visitor numbers for the pier, and I am confident that visitor numbers for this year will be similarly impressive. Our focus now must be to continue to ensure our town remains a place people wish to keep coming back to and our recent High Street summit is and important part of that.”

Major new museum could be built in Southend High Street

18/10/2018

A major new museum could be built in Southend High Street after rising costs made the original seafront location unviable.

Revised designs for a state-of-the-art regional museum on the seafront - to be known as The Thames Estuary Experience - were due to conclude by the end of 2018.

However, an independent technical review of plans by a specialist architecture firm drafted in by the Council, Hawkins Brown, has since confirmed that the existing museum plans would not deliver what was required. Further, a building in that location suitable for housing the significant finds from the Prittlewell Prince and the London Shipwreck would likely cost in the region of £55 million, instead of the previous £40 million estimate.

Cllr Lesley Salter, cabinet member for culture, said. “A state-of-the-art visitor attraction of this nature would be an amazing opportunity for Southend. However, the council has been very clear from the outset that any funding would have to be raised by a board of trustees and would not be met by council tax-payers.

“The £40m was an ambitious task. For this figure to rise to £55m before a single brick has been laid is an unpleasant but necessary wake-up call. It demonstrated to us that we just cannot justify proceeding with this particular plan.

“Our aspiration to provide a world-class museum in the town, showcasing the Thames Estuary’s rich heritage and contribution to the history of Britain, remains unaltered. But not in this location and not with this price tag.

“I would like to thank Hawkins Brown for their work on this project, which is helping us to understand our requirements and the likely costs and income generation opportunities.”

Cllr James Courtenay, cabinet member for growth is also enthusiastic by the opportunities that could be showcased in a new museum but believes any future development should support the regeneration of the High Street.

He said: “The proposed site on the cliffs has been around for a while now, but times have changed and so have the town’s priorities.

“Personally, I would like to see the museum form part of the regeneration our High Street, which is going to have to become a lot more mixed-use in future, rather than being so strongly dominated by retail, which is increasingly becoming an online sector.”

“Diversifying the use of units on the High Street is a key feature of the Council’s Southend Central Area Action Plan, so we already have policy in place that would support increased cultural use of the High Street.

“We need to be realistic about our current situation and consider the best options for drawing in residents and visitors to parts of the town that are important to local people and to the economy.

“It is clear that we have a series of compelling stories to tell and anyone who has seen the current London Shipwreck exhibition in Central museum will appreciate the quality of offer that we are capable of delivering.

“We now need to review our options and come up with a solution that is right for the town, supports its economy and is financially sustainable.”

The London Shipwreck and the Prittlewell Prince finds are two stories of national significance which have the potential to attract visitors from across the country.

An exhibition on the London Shipwreck is currently open at the Central Museum, whilst a permanent display is also planned there in the spring to coincide with the completion of academic work on the Saxon burial site.

Displaying these in Central Southend, where we already have public transport and parking facilities, along with other activities nearby, such as the pier and seafront attractions and eateries, could mean that the museum and the High Street help support each other.

A report will go before Southend-on-Sea Borough Council’s Cabinet once the current technical assessments, including projected museum income, have been completed.

Southend Airport getting new route to Copenhagen

14/9/2018

The Danish capital Copenhagen will be among the first 14 destinations chosen by Ryanair for its new base at Southend Airport.

Ryanair will be basing three aircraft at Southend Airport, with flights from Southend-Copenhagen starting on April 2. This brand new route will be operated three times a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

Besides Copenhagen, Southend becomes available to travellers to and from Alicante, Bilbao, Brest, Cluj, Corfu, Dublin, Faro, Kosice, Malaga, Milan, Palma, Reus and Venice.

Southend Airport named best in the capital for fifth year running

24/8/2018

London Southend Airport has beaten all the other London airports for the fifth year running to once again be named ‘Best Airport in London’ in the latest Which? airport passenger survey.

This year it boasted a customer satisfaction score of 84% - 14% points more than the next closest airport, London City (70%) – with the Which? press release stating “The airport’s efficient queues through bag drop, security and passport control earned high praises from passengers. With direct trains to Liverpool Street that take under an hour, Southend is the highest-rated London area airport, soaring past rivals Heathrow and Gatwick.”

The impressive customer satisfaction score also makes Southend the 2nd best ranked airport of any size in the whole of the UK (just three points behind Doncaster Sheffield airport with its chart topping 87% score).

Southend scored a maximum five-star rating in six of the ten categories assessed, with staff, queues at bag drop, security and baggage reclaim, toilets and prices in shops / food outlets all top scoring.

Rory Boland, Which? Travel Editor said: “Travellers want to start their trips in the smoothest way, but long queues through airports and a lack of facilities can cast a rain cloud over any getaway. With new routes launching all the time, passengers have an increasing choice over not just who they fly with but where they fly from. If you can pick a smaller airport, choose Southend over Luton to get your holiday off to a better start.”

Glyn Jones, CEO of London Southend Airport, said: “To be named ‘Best Airport in London’ for the fifth-year running is wonderful news and once again testament to all the hard work that the team here at London Southend has put in. Once again ‘Which?’ members have recognised that London Southend offers a substantially better way to travel with fast and frequent train services to the heart of London, at least every 15-minutes, a raft of new routes and exceptional customer service. They’re all key factors in our success and why more and more passengers are repeatedly choosing London Southend Airport over all the others.”

New jobs created as Giraffe STOP and Costa touch down at Southend Airport

31/7/2018

Passengers at Southend Airport can now enjoy an increased range of food and drink following the opening of Giraffe STOP and Costa Coffee.

The Giraffe STOP, which opened for the first time at the airport yesterday, follows the recent agreement with TRG Concessions to take over catering outlets. The airport also expects to see the opening of bespoke pub brand, The Navigator, later this summer.

The new outlets have led to the creation of 20 new jobs, including permanent manager roles.

Lauren Hawes, who lives in Southend will become the new Unit manager for Giraffe STOP having only started working with TRG Concessions at London Southend a few months ago. She said, “Working at my local airport has been a fantastic whirlwind experience for me. I haven’t been here that long but I’ve really enjoyed my experience and learnt a lot. It’s fantastic that the airport is creating such amazing career opportunities for local people like me.”

Nick Ayerst, the managing director of TRG Concessions, said: "We are delighted to have acquired sites at London Southend Airport, given its current growth and future prospects. We look forward to trading them with a view to developing further award-winning new concessions at the airport over the next few years. We welcome our new team members into the business and will be investing in them to help support future growth in our Southend business.”

Glyn Jones, CEO of London Southend Airport said, “This new partnership with TRG Concessions, which will bring six new high street brands to London Southend Airport, is fantastic news for passengers. It is also a great vote of confidence in the UK’s fastest growing airport, another step along our road to becoming both bigger and better. And as we grow, we can create even more job opportunities for the local community.”

Cliff lift reopens for summer holidays

20/7/2018

Southend’s historic cliff lift is to reopen to the public in time for the summer holidays – and new volunteers are now being sought to help run it.

The lift – which has been a popular attraction with tourists since it opened in August 1912 – has been out of operation since May last year, when it regularly started breaking down. Repairs were completed this week and now the Council is seeking new recruits to bolster its volunteer numbers.

The lift will operate between 10am and 3pm every Saturday and Sunday. Any new volunteers will be given full training.

Trips on the lift cost just 50p per person per journey and any income goes towards its maintenance.

Cllr Lesley Salter, cabinet member for healthy communities and wellbeing, said: “I’m delighted to see the popular historic cliff lift back in operation in time for the school summer holidays.

“This promises to be a bumper summer for Southend, with a varied activities calendar to suit all tastes, including organised walks, music and events on the pier and both Southend Pride and The Southend Festival in full swing.

“Volunteering at the cliff lift is a fun opportunity to help welcome visitors to our great town, meet new people and learn new skills, so I encourage anyone with the time and passion for our town to get in touch.”

To express an interest in volunteering, please email museumvolunteers@southend.gov.uk or phone the Volunteer Support Team on 01702 534887.

The Council is also looking for volunteers with a passion for the town to get involved in a new Visitor Welcome Host scheme. To find out more please email makesouthendsparkle@southend.gov.uk or call 01702 212251.