A DEVELOPER is just weeks away from revealing proposals for 250 new homes in Shoebury to be built on “platforms” to combat flooding.

Garrison Developments is in the final stages of submitting a planning application for the last cluster of new homes and a medical centre off Barge Pier Road, on the former Gunner’s Park on the Garrison estate.

Halstead Gazette:

If approved, it will bring the number of new homes on the coastal site to more than 700, including those in converted former military buildings.

The new scheme includes a mixture of houses, and two to three-storey flat blocks.

A previous application to build 172 homes on the site was turned down over concerns over flooding but Garrison Developments believes it has overcome this by raising the development to just over six metres above sea level.

Halstead Gazette:

Spokesman Paul Denney said: “We are actually raising the land beneath the buildings so it will look like any normal development but it will be on a platform in terms of flooding. Some of the buildings will have ground-floor garages but they will just be like normal homes.”

While former garrison developer Gladedale carefully restored dozens of military buildings on the garrison estate, new homes have been a mix of modern town houses and luxury homes.

Halstead Gazette:

Designs for the latest development are still being drawn up but they will be of a similar style and are likely to include 30 per cent affordable homes.

Mr Denney said: “Gladedale did the other homes but we are speaking with planning officers so the new homes match others in the area. There will be a mix of housing provision in line with what council policies require.”

Halstead Gazette:

“There will be provision for a health centre when the NHS has the funds to build it, near the Hinguar School.”

Mr Denney said a consultation would be launched ahead of a full planning application to Southend Council.

The 23-acre site nestles between Ness Road, Campfield Road an Barge Pier Road on land which once formed part of Gunners Park which has been moved further towards the sea wall area.

Peter Lovett, vice chairman of Shoeburyness Residents’ Association, said; “Everyone is pretty opposed to having more housing there because it is on a Grade 3 flood plain. They have said the plans won’t detract from the seafront aspect but if you have three-storey homes on top of 6ft banks they are going to stand out no matter what they say.

“As for the previous buildings, we are not against homes as long as they are properly built.”

Carefully restored historic buildings

THE popularity of the Garrison estate has seen landmark properties tip the £1million mark.

The latest property to go on the market in the new millionaire’s row comes with a £1.35million price tag.

Midwicket, a magnificent six-bedroom terraced home in The Terrace on the Shoebury Garrison Estate, which also has four reception rooms and four bathrooms, has almost tripled in price since it last sold In 2003 for £545,000.

The Grade II Listed property dates back to the 1850s and is being sold by Home estate agents in Thorpe Bay.

Ricky Foker, senior manager for Homes called Midwicket “one of the most mesmerising homes I have ever had the pleasure in selling”.

Dating back to the mid 1800s the property offers some of the finest architecture along with fascinating period features including ceilings in excess of 11 feet high, gorgeous, original Sash windows whilst boasting an incredible 4,100 square feet of living spaces.

Such historic homes are a rare find in today’s housing market, boosting their value but it is no where near the most costly property on the garrison.

In 2019 the magnificent converted Officers Mess was sold after going on the market for £2.9million The property was converted and re-modelled between 2010 and 2013 to provide a magnificent home with panoramic coastal views.

New health centre ‘unlikely’ to be built despite being large part of plans

A NEW Shoebury health centre is unlikely to be on the cards soon despite being part of a new Shoebury Garrison planning application.

The centre, designed to take the place of the dilapidated health centre in Campfield Road, is intended to house several GP surgeries.

Even before the current crisis, the NHS and clinical commissioning groups have failed to find the cash to back the project even after the council stepped in to offer help by funding the new building and renting it to the NHS.

Peter Lovett, vice-chairman of Shoeburyness Residents’ Association, said: “They just can’t seem to get it started.

“I can see that idea disappearing into the horizon.

“At the moment the health service is being given all that it is asking for but the day of reckoning will be coming.

“In 2018, they were looking at other sites in Shoebury for a new centre, including the existing one in Campfield Road.

“The residents want a new health centre but this was only added to the plans after the last application and I think that maybe a political move to make the application more appealing.

“The developer won’t be building it though”

A debate over health centres in Shoebury has gone on for many years.

New medical facilities have been seen as essential for providing local treatment for Shoebury residents.

The move would also be a catalyst for keeping people out of Southend Hospital’s A&E.