Communities and Local Government
A selection of images representing communities.
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Southend
Select one of the numbers below to link to the relevant case study.
The borough of Southend-on-Sea comprises Southend town centre and a number of local centres from Leigh-on-Sea to the west, through to Shoeburyness in the east. It has a catchment area of over 350,000 people. The Thames Gateway boundary also covers a small part of the district of Rochford, home to London Southend Airport and some high-quality green spaces. The borough is on two main lines, both running to London in less than an hour. The A127 and A13 provide the main highway links to and from Southend.
Southend has long been a favourite tourism destination for people in the South East: more than six million people visit Southend each year. Southend is also a place to do business. The Inland Revenue and Keymed (medical equipment) are two of the largest employers, along with several multi-national financial institutions, HSBC, RBOS and Lloyds. There are currently 1,200-1,500 jobs on site at the airport terminal and in other associated activities adjacent to the airport.
The draft East of England Plan sets a target for the creation of 6,500 new homes and 13,000 jobs by 2021. The growth of the Thames Gateway presents opportunities to strengthen Southend's position as one of the UK's favourite tourism destinations, to create new jobs in a more diverse range of sectors, and to improve quality of life for local residents. Southend town centre will accommodate almost 50 per cent of the jobs growth and 25 per cent of housing growth. Elsewhere, proposals to expand London Southend Airport could bring new employment opportunities, both short-term with construction work on the terminal building, and also long-term in related activities.
Masterplanning in Southend has identified scope for up to 57,000 m2 of office space, up to 6,000 m2 of leisure space, 2,500 new homes and over 20,000 m2 of comparison retail. Housing development will happen throughout the area, with economic development will happen in three key central areas:
- In the Victoria Avenue Office and Civic Quarter new higher-value, mixed-use development will replace old stock and reconnect the area with the town centre.
- Southend High Street links Southend Victoria station with the commercial seafront. It has two covered shopping centres - the Royals and Victoria shopping centre - and it is home to many major UK retailers. A £22m investment scheme is underway to modernise Victoria shopping centre, providing 35,000 m2 of refurbished retail floorspace.
- The Commercial Seafront and Pier is the main attraction for tourists in Southend the majority of whom are day-trippers. There are new opportunities to diversify the tourism/ leisure offer and attract more overnight stays. Plans are being drawn up for an 'urban beach'. Marine Plaza will be a £100m landmark leisure complex, with a hotel with conference facilities, bars, restaurants and residential units.
In neighbouring Rochford, proposals to expand London Southend Airport are being considered. The airport operators recently published proposals to increase passenger numbers to 1 million passengers per annum over the next 4 to 5 years. Such an expansion could create 1,000 jobs.
Social infrastructure developments include:
- A new South East Essex College building has been built on a site next to the High Street and train station. The relocation of the College has seen enrolment figures leap by 9,000. This will be complemented by the first phase of a new University of Essex campus on the adjacent site. Further expansion, including an Enterprise and Innovation Faculty, is planned.
- A ground-breaking alliance between Prospects College and Thorpe Bay School will offer an innovative 12,000 m2 Vocational Training College which will serve the whole of the South Essex area. It will be a new 11-19+ self-governing foundation school, with a new £20m state-of-the-art building replacing the current facilities. The new college will offer academic and vocational learning opportunities for 1,200 students, with a further 2,000 employed people making use of the business and enterprise centre.
- 1.9km of MOD-owned beaches are to be leased to Southend Council for public use, meaning that there will be public access to the beaches from Leigh to Shoeburyness. Investment in visitor facilities will be important in making this extensive environmental offer accessible.
- Rochford is also an important 'green lung', offering a rural experience and opportunities for new ecotourism including projects at Cherry Orchard Jubilee Country Park, and Rayleigh Windmill.
