SOUTHEND ON SEA

There are many great reasons to come to Southend on Sea, here are just a few:-

The Longest Pleasure Pier in the world, with a train service too.

Probably one of the most iconic conference, meeting or wedding locations in the country The Royal Pavilion on Southend Pier.

The Forum on Elmer Square– Southend’s newest location and joint library venture with accademia. Upto 200 delegates in a state of the art facility or smaller rooms available and just two minutes from the station in the heart of the town.

The Cliffs Pavilion, our largest venue, upto 1600 delegates perched atop the cliffs with glorious estuary views and outside space to take in the sea air!

Excellent Hotels, many with estuary views and great conference, meeting and wedding facilities. why not try the Roslin Beach Hotel, The Park Inn Palace or the Westcliff for exceptional sea views and facilities. A tad further afield, all of 3 miles from the seafront, and only a 5 minute walk from the station is the Holiday Inn at Southend Airport with very interesting views and great facilities.

Southend has numerous small guest houses, nearly all have 3-4 stars and great sea views.

Southend is served by two train lines, C2C fom Fenchurch Street for 7 stations in the south and centre of the town and Gt Eastern from Liverpool Street for London Southend Airport and Southend Victoria. Trains run approx every 10 minutes peak and every 20 minutes the rest of the time- thats time two of course!

I should mention our great climate, over 7 miles of beaches, the wonderful fishing village of Leigh Old Town, the boutique and niche shopping area of Leigh on Sea, marine activities including kite surfing and many many interesting restuarants, the list just goes on….

What are you waiting for- all this and less than 1 hour from London

Details of the above locations and hotels can be found at http://www.visitsouthend.co.uk

hotels.com and tripadvisor

http://www.theforumsouthend.co.uk

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We Must Not Lose Sight of The Jobs

Whilst exciting new destinations are announced at very reasonable prices we must not lose sight of  the reason why Southend approved the airport works- jobs, some will be airside but the majority will be in the adjoining Saxon Business Park and economic turndown or not this has to happen and it needs driving forward by Rochford and Southend Councils.

Southend Airport Judicial Review fails

Judgement has been given this morning on the application by Laura Millard for leave to apply for Judicial Review of the Council’s decision to grant planning permission (reference SOS/09/01960/FULM)  for the runway extension at Southend Airport. This followed an oral Hearing held last week.
The High Court refused to grant leave and the judge ruled that all 4 grounds of challenge advanced on behalf of Ms Millard were unarguable.

Hopefully that is the end of the matter, unless Ms Millard attempts to pursue an appeal to the Court of Appeal or  some type of action in Europe.

Shame on You

Last night the Council discussed the terms of the airport lease. Following the meeting as I was leaving a woman came up to me and said in my face- Shame on you.

Is it shameful to restrict the number of night flights?

Is it shameful to control the noise emissions of the planes?

Is it shameful to ensure the direction of landing and takeoff  is, as much as possible, over the least populated areas?

Is it shameful to cap the total number of flights?

Is it shameful to require a second instrument landing facility?

Is it shameful to restrict the amount of cargo?

Is it shameful to want to provide more jobs for Southend and Rochford residents?

No I don’t think so- the shameful thing is that SAEN still persist in objecting to all of the above and post inaccurate personal comments on their website ! Madame, whoever you were- Shame on you.

The full list of conditions being imposed v the existing can be seen here –Conditions proposed v existing

Southend Deserves it!

Visit the Echo and sign up to show your support. Achieving City Status would Southend a real boost. Read what our residents have to say about it

‘SAEN’ lodge appeal against airport decision

‘SAEN’ have appealed for a verbal hearing. During which they will get a short time to argue their case for a judicial review of the airport extension decision. Last week’s judgement was unequivocal, you can read it here- JR Order 03 02 11

We can now look forward to further months of delay and mounting legal costs to be borne by the tax payer and in the meantime Southend and Rochfords’ economic revival will be handicapped and the job prospects of many put on hold by the actions of a few.

Say yes to Southend airport expansion

Read the formal notification on the Airport Judicial Review

Please click   JR Order 03 02 11 to read the formal response to the application for a judicial review by  resident  Laura Millard.

Now we need to move on , get the landlord consent signed off and the JAAP underway so as to ensure we are ready to maximise the economic benefits for Rochford and Southend once the Airport ‘Takes Off’.  As we come out of the economic down turn- we will need those jobs!

Looks like airport could be on its way to expansion!

We understand that the courts have refused leave for a judicial review of the planning application decision relating to the airport runway extension.  We have yet to receive formal confirmation of this judgement. 

Received today from Chief Exec Southend BC.  I understand the applicant could appeal this in some way requesting a verbal hearing.

Are we heading for worst case scenario?

Whilst we wait for the decision on a judicial review of the decision to grant planning consent for the extended runway the clock ticks closer to the Olympics and the need for Southend airport to start offering flights and make a name for itself. Stobarts have continued to invest, a new control tower, a new station, plans for a hotel etc. When will Stobarts cut their losses, decide to abandon the extended runway and just make the best of what they have? And what will that mean for the residents of Southend.

Well, as it stands there are precious little controls on night flights, the existing runway can only handle older, noisier, more polluting planes and their range is more limited. So are we going to see all the benefits negotiated with the airport and agreed within the planning consent for the extended runway lost? The restriction on night flights, the restriction on approach and take off over built up Southend, the controls to restrict noise and the provision of assistance for those that might experience an increase in disturbance etc. would all be lost. Instead are we going to get night flights, more smaller, noisier and more polluting planes flying to closer airports than is realistically viable with the ensuing need for more freight (also controlled under the planning consent) and constant road closures every time a plane takes off with the ensuing congestion and queuing. Well I sincerely hope not, but given the deliberate delaying tactic of SAEN and the delay in Judicial Review I think this worst case scenario is day by day becoming a real possibility.

Let’s be quite clear- even if the judicial review gets the go ahead and even if following that judicial review the runway extension was not allowed Southend Airport could still operate an airport using the existing runway and without the many controls imposed by the planning consent. It would be a truly pyrrhic victory that saw SAEN successful in the courts.

Southend has two main economic drivers that could produce a real improvement in the economic standing of the town and its residents – the Airport and the Seafront with its Pier.

An airport, fully functioning as a passenger airport, a world class maintenance facility and a logistics hub would create significant employment both on and off airport. Much needed jobs from the basic to the really advanced would be generated for residents and the kudos of a fully functioning airport would have considerable knock benefit for local firms, the town and wider area. So not only can we expect jobs at the airport but also within the supply chains across the area and within existing local firms that get a boost from Southend having an Airport.

I want Southend to flourish; I believe that for this to happen Southend has to move forward, to use its assets carefully and to best effect. The opportunities on the seafront and Pier are enormous, but more of this another time. The runway extension planning consent wrote in more controls than currently exist, Southend will be a quieter, safer, more pleasant place and will be more economically self sufficient with better prospects with the runway extension than without it.

SAEN are causing more damage to Southend than many realise, sooner or later Stobarts will take the decision to cut their losses, to abandon, at least in the short term the runway extension, to use what they can and to get on with running an airport and ironically  it is the very residents under the flight path that we sought to protect via the planning consent that will suffer the most, as and when the airport and Stobart decide to go ahead on the existing runway and under the existing lease terms.

Airport set for Take Off

It’s official, the Minister has decided not to call in the  Airport Planning  Application, so the decision of Southend’s Development Control Committee to approve stands. There will be i’s to dot and t’s to cross but basically it means that the runway can be extended once the road diversion is complete, all the extra noise and night flight conditions will then become effective and steadily over a number of years the number of flights and passengers will climb to the 2m max permitted.

Currently work is underway on the new station which will link the station to the City and recently work has also commenced on the new Control Tower. Already the works at the airport are putting £1m per month into the economy and the majority of that is within Southend and Essex. Local hotels and B & B’s benefit too as those workers that are not local stay over during the week.

Read what others have to say- Echo        Council Bust