THE ambitious £500million Better Queensway rejuvenation plan will change the face of Southend forever - including buildings of up to 18 storeys.

The key points outlined in the proposals include:

  •  About 1,669 homes, of which 512 will be affordable homes (31 per cent affordable)
  • A range of building heights and types, ranging from three to 18 storeys of residential accommodation
  • Every new home to have private outside space with a garden, a terrace or a balcony, depending on location
  • Parking spaces increased
  • Three new key public green spaces, including a new Station Plaza
  • The road layout of Queensway brought up to surface level, with a tree-lined highway retaining four lanes of traffic
  • New dedicated off-street cycle lanes and pedestrian walkways on each side of the Queensway
  • A mix of flexible, commercial, enterprise and cultural space to complement the town centre and support the future residents
  • Environmentally-friendly and sustainable solutions to improve energy efficiency for the estate, including electric vehicle charging points and sustainable urban drainage systems.

Under the plans, the four high-rise blocks, Malvern, Chiltern, Quantock, and Pennine - off Queensway in the centre of Southend - will be demolished to create the new homes.

All the existing residents living in those blocks will be given the option to move into one of the new properties and will be charged the same level of rent they are paying now.

Halstead Gazette:

While the current plans aim to create about 512 affordable homes, Southend Council leader, Ian Gilbert, said his aim is to boost that number by at least 100.

He said: “We have said repeatedly how important the Better Queensway project is for the future of our town and its residents.

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“Seven years of hard work has led us to this point and an initial planning application is to be submitted very soon. We need to be sure the project still delivers what we intended and especially in light of the coronavirus pandemic, we need to be sure that it can be delivered on time and on budget.

“As 50/50 shareholders with Swan Housing Association, we have a responsibility to make sure we are doing everything we can to fulfil our obligations, while protecting the project and looking after the interests of our residents.”

Halstead Gazette:

“A commitment was made by the council in February 2019 to maximise the number of affordable homes within the scheme, and I am therefore very pleased to say that we will be delivering on that.

“As a partnership we are working on a memorandum of understanding to provide at least 100 more socially rented properties to the numbers proposed.

“This would mean the scheme delivering over 600 affordable homes for local people, of which a high proportion will be social rent.”

Southend Council will deliver the new Queensway estate in a partnership scheme with Swan Housing - Porters Place Southend-on-Sea LLP – and it is expected to take up to ten years.

The scheme will also see a major change to the road layout with the raising of the Queensway underpass, while retaining four lanes of traffic.

Halstead Gazette:

There will also be three new public green spaces, including a new plaza at Victoria Station.

Geoff Pearce, chair of the Porters Place Southend-on-Sea LLP Board, said: “Residents and their feedback have been central to our approach and their voices are echoed in the proposals.

“We are committed at to getting this project right, not just for the existing residents of Queensway, but for whole of Southend ensuring the £500million we will be investing in Southend supports a bright future for the town.”

Councillors are expected to discuss the plans at a shareholders meeting next week and following that, a planning application will be submitted.