London Southend Airport was delighted to welcome the return of holidaymakers as it reopened its terminal this week.
 
From the start of May, easyJet returned to flying to London Southend Airport from Malaga six times a week, Palma four times a week and Faro twice a week using an A320 aircraft.
 
The return of easyJet flights is likely to prove popular with locals. In a recent survey that included responses from over 7,000 people living in the East of England, 90% of people gave the airport 8-10 in terms of favourability. Respondents are expected to be delighted with easyJet’s plans, having named Spanish destinations Palma and Malaga top of the list wish of destinations.
 
Glyn Jones, CEO, said: “London Southend Airport is delighted to welcome back passengers for the first flights from the newly minted City of Southend. People living locally, in London and across the east of England can now get back to quickly and easily travelling through our award winning airport, breezing through one of the UK’s quickest security experiences then relaxing before jetting off on easyJet flights to hugely popular summer destinations, Malaga, Palma and Faro.
We’d like to thank our truly outstanding team for all their efforts in making sure we’re ready to welcome back passengers and we want to recognise the huge support we have received from our amazing local community throughout an incredibly challenging time brought about by the pandemic. We look forward to seeing you at London Southend Airport soon.”
 
 Ali Gayward, easyJet’s UK Country Manager said: "We are delighted to be flying once again from London Southend Airport this summer, providing customers with convenient direct connections to explore or relax in some of Europe’s most popular beach destinations. We are proud to be the largest airline in the UK and to serve our customers from London Southend once again with more choice and great value fares.”

From 31 August, Southend Airport will offer passengers twice weekly direct flights with Widerøe to Bergen, known as one of the happiest places in the world.

Bergen is Norway’s second largest city and offers an adventurous retreat with the feeling of a small town. It has much to offer, from hiking in the hillsides, stunning fjords and mountains to exploring the cobbled streets and colourful buildings, seafood markets, art exhibits, museums and more.
 
Passengers can fly to Bergen via the new Embraer 190-E2 jet, which is the market's most modern and environmentally friendly jet in this class and has a seat configuration of two + two allowing 144 passengers. The 1 hour 50-minute flight will offer passengers a fast connection to Norway.
 
Christian Skaug, Commercial Director Widerøe, said: “We are strengthening our focus on Bergen as a hub for traffic throughout the country. With this new route we continue to build on the network Widerøe has developed in and around Bergen and Western Norway in recent years. We start cautiously, but if we see that the offer is well received, we will consider adding more weekly departures.”
 
Glyn Jones, CEO of Stobart Aviation, “We are pleased to offer this new route to one of Europe’s most stunning cities. A further 8 connections also become available from this destination, allowing easy connectivity across Norway. London Southend Airport is extremely accessible, boasts excellent customer service and has been ranked London’s best airport by consumer group Which?”
 
www.wideroe.no  
 
https://www.visitnorway.com/places-to-go/fjord-norway/bergen/

Over 2,400 potholes were repaired across the Borough between April and June as the council’s highways contractor worked tirelessly throughout the Coronavirus lockdown.

With people staying home following the Coronavirus pandemic, the council’s contractor, Marlborough, took to the streets to repair reported defects through the Find and Fix programme.

The programme involved a team of spotters going out and actively finding and marking up potholes. They worked up to a week ahead of the maintenance crews, who followed up and repaired the approved defects.

The council defined intervention levels for potholes but we actively encouraged that this programme included any adjacent defects or those that were close to intervention levels so that the process became proactive rather than just reactive.

All spotted potholes were documented and the evidence (log sheets and images) were passed back to council staff for approval. A system within WhatsApp was developed to deliver the spotted defects, with associated locations references within the images for easy tracking.

In total, 2,430 defects were repaired between 2 April and 4 June 2020, more than the whole of last year (2,057). The repairs were also carried out at a cheaper cost compared to previous years, and lower than the national average cost.

Cllr Ron Woodley, cabinet member for transport, inward and capital investment, said: “The Find and Fix programme has proven to be a resounding success. With the greatly reduced traffic during the lockdown, the crews were able to work quickly and efficiently, without causing major disruption to motorists and residents.

“We are delighted to see the repair rate figure so high, and at a cheaper rate comparative to last year, benefitting the taxpayer. The programme has also eased the current burden on our highways inspection team who have seen a 50% reduction in recorded potholes on the carriageway.”

If you spot a road defect, please report this at MySouthend.

Southend Council is set to approve the selection of Swan Housing Association as its preferred bidder for the major transformation of the Queensway area in central Southend.
 
Councillors will discuss the recommendation next week (Tuesday 12th February) and approve the setting up of a joint venture LLP between the Council and Swan that would enable collective delivery of the Better Queensway scheme.
 
The council started the procurement process back in March 2018. Several companies went through various stages of the detailed process, with Swan coming through the robust procurement process as preferred bidder.
 
The report details how their tender has met the requirements laid down by the council, including building more than 441 affordable homes on the site and how Swan will help to deliver not only the regeneration but also manage it for the long term.
 
Swan’s example scheme developed for the purposes of the procurement process includes approximately 1,600 new homes, of which over 500 will be affordable. The example scheme also maintains four lanes of traffic on Queensway, new green spaces and improved walking and cycling space, and space to play. It also incorporates a community fund and improvements to energy and sustainability.
 
If approved by Swan’s Board, the council’s cabinet and Full Council on 21 February, the next steps would be to work towards awarding the contract in the spring. Following the award of the contract, the joint venture would be formally created and a full masterplan prepared for the site. This will involve further consultation with residents, business and other key stakeholders, and submission for planning approval in 2020.
 
Councillor James Courtenay, cabinet member for growth, says: “Better Queensway is the biggest regeneration project we are undertaking in a generation and will seek to transform this vital area right in the centre of our town, delivering better housing, better living and a better place for both the current residents and those that will make central Southend their home in the future. This regeneration will help make this area a key entrance into our town centre and connect what will be a thriving new community with it and also help us to deliver a key part of our resident led ambition for 2050.

“We are delighted to recommend Swan Housing, an excellent organisation with great values, commitment to the community and vast knowledge and experience of the local area, as our preferred bidder.
 
“Alongside meeting all the key requirements for the project, they also offer far much more than that, including access to their other properties from across Essex and London.
 
“This is really just the beginning and there is much more work to be done. We are now collectively focused on the next stages, including contract award and then working with all range of stakeholders, including residents and businesses to prepare a masterplan for submission for planning approval.”
 
John Synnuck, CEO of Swan Housing Association commented: “We are delighted to have been selected by Southend-on-Sea Borough Council as “Preferred Bidder” for the regeneration of Queensway.  We’ve been taking on complex regenerations just like this for the last 25 years and our award-winning schemes show that we can not only build high quality homes of all tenures but also fantastic public realm including green spaces; we can tackle complex road and infrastructure challenges; and put in the commercial space and facilities needed to create successful mixed-use regenerations.
 
“I’d like to say to all the residents and local stakeholders at Queensway, that we are looking forward to working with you to develop a masterplan for Queensway which will make it a great place to live and work and a place where everyone in Southend wants to go. 
 
“Together with our joint venture partner, Southend-on Sea Borough Council, we will work with you to transform Queensway from an isolated, and aging estate into a thriving community right in the centre of Southend.  We’re experts at supporting residents and local stakeholders through regenerations and we will be there every step of the way, with Southend and South Essex Homes, to support you."

Two mini short-stay car parks are to be trialled on Southend High Street, with short-term parking spaces at another major central car park also increasing.
 
Southend Council has announced that its 14-space London Road North car park beside the Odeon cinema will be converted into a one-hour maximum stay car park with a fixed fare of 20p for half an hour or 50p for an hour. Meanwhile, a further 12 short-stay car parking spaces will be created at the site of the former Pitman toilets with the same charging system operating.
 
In addition, the one-hour parking band will be reintroduced at Seaway car park during the summer months, bringing more than 600 extra single-hour parking options to the town centre. Currently, single-hour parking is only available at Seaway in the winter months. Single-hour parking here will be priced at £1.60 from April to October and £1.20 from November to March.

The new car-parking changes are all due to come into force from 1 April and will operate on a trial basis for a year.
 
Payment will be possible at London Road North and Pitmans via cash, phone or the Mobon app.
 
Cllr James Courtenay, cabinet member for growth said: “While we want residents and visitors to stay longer in our town, I acknowledge that sometimes people just need to nip into town to grab a coffee or collect an order. 

“Indeed, Click & Collect shopping is an increasingly important market for some of our high street retailers and these new short-stay parking options should cater perfectly for that market. This is something that local businesses told us was important to them as we consulted over the 2019-2020 budget.
 
“Over the next year, we’ll be keeping a close eye on the take up of these new car parks and speaking to town centre businesses to see what impact they have on high street trade.

“We will also be doing more to promote use of the more than 2,000 single-hour parking spaces the town already has, both in council and private ownership.” 
 
One-hour parking in Southend town centre
 
Tylers Avenue and York Road Car Parks – 340 spaces priced at £1.10 for an hour
Short Street Car Park – 101 spaces priced at £1.10 for an hour
Seaway Car Park – 630 spaces priced at £1.20 for an hour (November – March) or £1.60 for an hour (April – October) commencing 1 April 2019
Royals Shopping Centre – 400 spaces priced at £1.10 for an hour
Victoria Shopping Centre – 670 spaces priced at £0.90 for an hour
Sainsbury’s – 340 spaces priced at £1 for an hour (reimbursed with minimum spend instore)
 
Road North (from 1 April 2019) – 14 spaces priced at 20p for half an hour or 50p for an hour
Pitmans (from 1 April 2019) – 12 spaces priced at 20p for half an hour or 50p for an hour
Southend Central Station (NCP) – 138 spaces priced at £1.70 for one hour
Luker Road (Britania Parking) – priced at £0.90 for one hour.
 
Half and single-hour parking is also available in on-street bays in the following streets within the town centre area:
​
Alexandra Road, Alexandra Street, Baltic Avenue, Cambridge Road, Capel Terrace, Cashiobury Terrace, Clarence Road, Clarence Street, Clifton Terrace, Clifftown Road, Devereaux Road, Gordon Road, London Road, Nelson Street, Prittlewell Square, Queens Road, Royal Terrace, Runwell Terrace, Southchurch Road, Warrior Square, Weston Road, Victoria Avenue, Whitegate Road, York Road.

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.”​

The most serious potholes in Southend are to be repaired thanks to a Government cash boost.
 
The Government announced additional money for all councils in their budget to clear the backlog of maintenance works by local highways authorities.
 
Southend Council has been given £617,000 which will be used to fill the most serious potholes, give the High Street a mini-makeover, and resurface Western Esplanade and Leather Lane.
 
Cllr Andrew Moring, cabinet member for infrastructure, said: “I’m really pleased the Government recognised the need for this financial boost to clear the backlog of identified highway maintenance issues. As the majority of the money we have been allocated will go towards repairing the most serious potholes, hopefully drivers in the borough will soon see an improvement to local roads.”
 
The pothole repairs will take place across the whole of the borough and follows on from a concentrated effort between March and June 2018 to catch up on a backlog of repairs delayed by the snow and cold weather last winter. Earlier this year, Southend Council allocated an additional £100,000 to fund two rapid pothole repair teams, in addition to the council’s agreed £102,000 budget for road repairs, and £195,000 for pothole repairs over the next three years.
 
The work is also on top of a major resurfacing programme that has been taking place since the end of October, with 13 roads resurfaced over a five week period as part of ongoing improvement works to the borough’s roads. This work has included the resurfacing of Harcourt Avenue, Kings Road, Chelsea Avenue and part of London Road.  The road resurfacing programme is developed through a prioritisation process, considering a range of factors including current condition, visual appearance, customer reports and maintenance history.
 
The High Street will also benefit from a mini-makeover between January and March 2019. The pavements between Southend Victoria and Pier Head have already been assessed, with problems identified, such as damaged or missing slabs, signs and posts.
 
Some of the slabs will be replaced, with every attempt made to make the new materials match the original as closely as possible.
 
Alison Dewey, Southend Business Improvement District (BID) Manager said: “It is great news to hear that the Council is investing this money to improve the town centre’s street scene. I am particularly pleased to hear that there’s going to be a full repair of the paving and that it will be sealed, as this will help to prevent any staining from spillages that can seep into the flagging and leave a permanent mark. The work will help to give the High Street a much cleaner appearance.”
 
She added: “The BID currently funds various streetscape improvements, such as the hanging baskets, colourful bunting and banners, so the Council’s new investment will complement our initiatives to make the town centre and seafront look brighter, cleaner and more welcoming.”

Free festive parking will return to Southend town centre this December.
 
All 10 of the 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 Andrew Moring, cabinet member for infrastructure said: “The Christmas period is important for local traders and that is why we are pleased to once again offer our free festive parking on Thursday evenings and Sundays. I hope that both residents and visitors to Southend-on-Sea will take advantage of this and help local retailers enjoy a bumper Christmas.
 
“We’re also supporting Small Business Saturday on December 1 providing free parking all day in seven of the council run car parks across the Borough, and I hope that residents use this opportunity to shop locally.”
 
Free Sunday parking starts on Sunday 2 December and runs up to and including Thursday 29 December. 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 1 December to celebrate and support Small Business Saturday will 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.