£500m Southend regeneration project gets the go-ahead

Porters Place Southend-on-Sea has gained consent for its £500m Better Queensway regeneration project from Southend-on-Sea Borough Council’s development control committee. The council and Swan Housing Assocation’s redevelopment received outline consent for its masterplan, as well as detailed consent for highway changes by Civic Engineers. The project will provide up to 1,760 new homes and more than 107,000 sq ft of commercial space, including retail, cafés, workspaces for start-ups and creative industries, and a nursery. An urban park and public squares are also included in the masterplan, which was jointly designed by architects dRMM and LDA Design. Four existing tower blocks on the Queensway estate will be demolished in phases to make way for the residential aspect, which will provide at least 512 affordable homes. Of these, 300 social rented and 12 shared-equity homes will be delivered through the S106 planning agreement and 200 shared-ownership homes through a contractual commitment in the approved business plan. An additional 100 affordable homes will be delivered through a separate contractual agreement. Geoff Pearce, chair of the board at Porters Place Southend-on-Sea and deputy chief executive of Swan Housing, said: “At a time when many towns are calling for investment to help improve the local area, we are confident that the £500m-plus investment in the Better Queensway regeneration will help ensure that Southend-on-Sea doesn’t just recover from Covid-19 but thrives and becomes an exemplar scheme driving economic recovery, well-being and supporting the community.” The council formed its joint venture partnership with Swan Housing Association in 2019. To send feedback, e-mail pui-guan.man@egi.co.uk or tweet @PuiGuanM or @estatesgazette Picture © dRMM/Porters Place Southend on Sea LLP