Article in Saturday's The Times about Southend

[Beefy]

Just saw this on Google News. Thought it made a decent read:

Mapping the Economy: Can a cultural makeover restore Southend?

 

[OldBlueLady]

Interesting Beefy, would be great if all those plans do come off - nice to see the stadium gets a mention in there too. With a definite deadline to work to with the Olympics it gives a sense of how much progress we should expect to see within the next 12 months.

 

[Interpol Shrimper]

Excellent article, would be nice if this all takes off.
Lets hope SUFC continue the boom times too!

 

[sufc_tom]

Great find. Shame all 'grumps' don't want the airport extended, new football stadium, cliff slips sorted, pier fixed. Anything really. And the only reason they don't want any of this is for one simple reason: Change, they don't like it!

 

[Reg Martin]

Would be great if that comes off.
Southend is often described in the national press has having a faded elegance or past glories. Being born in the 60s I have had always had the feeling that I just missed seeing southend in its heyday before the town planners/architects did their worst.
Though as an exile I still feel whenever I return that its actually still a far better place to live than many other parts of the country.
Incidentallly, not seen it mentioned on here but there was a really positive article on southend in the Independent Travel section a couple of weeks ago

 

[OldBlueLady]

Paul, don't you remember the High Street pre-pedestrianisation? Our year 4s are doing a half term topic on Southend, and we've been looking at old photos and things. The old buildings down the bottom end, RA Jones, the Lyons Tea House etc. All elegant buildings and beautifully presented, plus Planters opposite Keddies, the smell of the coffee.

It used to be lovely, and the improvements at the bottom end now with the Palace Hotel's upgrading will be a massive improvement.

 

[Forever A Shrimper]

Great find. Shame all 'grumps' don't want the airport extended, new football stadium, cliff slips sorted, pier fixed. Anything really. And the only reason they don't want any of this is for one simple reason: Change, they don't like it!

Urr... no.

I live over the road from the airport where it is now and wouldn't want it to be extended for it increases local traffic, lowers the price of our house (...something we do NOT need in recession!) alongside many other reasons!

So no, your wrong. We don't all suffer with metathesiophobia, we just don't want our houses to drop dramatically in value alongside many other inconveniences.

 

[Manchester Shrimper]

Talking about airport expansion, on a personal note, if Flybe could do cheap flights from Manchester to Southend as they do to Southampton, Norwich and Exeter, that could make life a lot easier for me for getting to home games. I'm sure others would benefit from that as well.

 

[Interpol Shrimper]

Talking about airport expansion, on a personal note, if Flybe could do cheap flights from Manchester to Southend as they do to Southampton, Norwich and Exeter, that could make life a lot easier for me for getting to home games. I'm sure others would benefit from that as well.

Ditto that for an Edinburgh to London Southend route!!!
I could not believe it took 20minutes longer to get from Stansted to Southend using the Airbus than it did flying from Edinburgh to Stansted when I came down for Col Ewe.

 

[Bielzibubz]

Whether it happens in the time scales they are proposing or whether it takes longer due to local protests and planning delays you can be certain of one thing, it will all happen, airport expansion included.

I said a long time ago that the new SUFC stadium was just but one part of a much bigger vision of regeneration for Southend and the East of Essex in general. The catalyst for a lot of these proposed projects now being pushed forward sooner than anticipated has been the winning of the Olympic bid and the huge influx of tourists and their money this will bring to the region.

At long last we have people in power at a local level that actually see a bright future for Southend and also see what it takes to achieve the goals set out in the proposed projects. For far to long Southend has been held back by political in fighting and personal ego's when it comes to doing what's right for the area and personally I can't wait for the likes of the airport to get it's expansion (and yes I do live in the area, right over a flight path as it happens)

Southend has massive potential. It's something that was recognized at a national government level quite some time ago with the Thames Gateway Project, Renaissance Southend (a government backed Urban Regeneration Company) and the European Union Structural Fund. Whether you like it or not change will happen and progress will continue. Except of coarse if you live in Blackpool. In which case you'll go on living in he same sh!thole you've been use to for the past twenty years.

There is at long last real momentum to get Southend out there into the shop window and make it the cultural, intellectual hub, and the higher education centre of excellence for South Essex.

Great news all round in my opinion.

 

[Alexis_SUFC]

I find it funny that people are complaining about the airport extension. The airport was there before most of the houses, if you move near to an airport then expect to hear planes coming and going!

 

[sufc_tom]

[/b]

Urr... no.

I live over the road from the airport where it is now and wouldn't want it to be extended for it increases local traffic, lowers the price of our house (...something we do NOT need in recession!) alongside many other reasons!

So no, your wrong. We don't all suffer with metathesiophobia, we just don't want our houses to drop dramatically in value alongside many other inconveniences.

You obviously don't know where I live as I also live right next door to the airport aswell.

If this town is to move forward, an airport is needed. I don't know if you saw the article and as you said we are in a recession and the airport/station will be bringing in atleast 2000+ jobs. People are moaning that they have no jobs, this is what everyone wants.. JOBS!

 

[Rob Noxious]

Paul, don't you remember the High Street pre-pedestrianisation? Our year 4s are doing a half term topic on Southend, and we've been looking at old photos and things. The old buildings down the bottom end, RA Jones, the Lyons Tea House etc. All elegant buildings and beautifully presented, plus Planters opposite Keddies, the smell of the coffee.

It used to be lovely, and the improvements at the bottom end now with the Palace Hotel's upgrading will be a massive improvement.

I can smell that coffee even now, Kay! Would love to see some of those old photos...

 

[OldBlueLady]

Thing with the airport, for those of us old enough to remember, is it used to be far busier and far noisier back in the late 60s/early 70s when those big old Carvairs were in operation. There were early morning and late evening flights too, yet I don't recall anyone moaning about it, it was part of living in the area, if you didn't like it, then you didn't live near it.

It's been there since 1935 as a passenger airport, and was used by the RAF before that from 1914, so it's been around for longer than most of the people who now live in its vicinity.

Interesting little link I just found in a book to do with Southend's history is the first aeroplane to fly at Southend was in July 1910, 4 years before the airport's birth - and it actually happened at Roots Hall! "Almost 2000 people watched aviator George Barnes leave the ground for 50 yards, high enough to clear a fence".

 

[Reg Martin]

Paul, don't you remember the High Street pre-pedestrianisation? Our year 4s are doing a half term topic on Southend, and we've been looking at old photos and things. The old buildings down the bottom end, RA Jones, the Lyons Tea House etc. All elegant buildings and beautifully presented, plus Planters opposite Keddies, the smell of the coffee.

It used to be lovely, and the improvements at the bottom end now with the Palace Hotel's upgrading will be a massive improvement.

I have very dim memories of my mum taking me and my sister to Lyons Tea House on a school holiday shopping trip - must have been around 1970.
Don't remember the high street before pedestrianisation - do you know when it happened?

 

[Reg Martin]

Thing with the airport, for those of us old enough to remember, is it used to be far busier and far noisier back in the late 60s/early 70s when those big old Carvairs were in operation. There were early morning and late evening flights too, yet I don't recall anyone moaning about it, it was part of living in the area, if you didn't like it, then you didn't live near it.

It's been there since 1935 as a passenger airport, and was used by the RAF before that from 1914, so it's been around for longer than most of the people who now live in its vicinity.

Interesting little link I just found in a book to do with Southend's history is the first aeroplane to fly at Southend was in July 1910, 4 years before the airport's birth - and it actually happened at Roots Hall! "Almost 2000 people watched aviator George Barnes leave the ground for 50 yards, high enough to clear a fence".

Southend airport was the airport used in Goldfinger

 

[Pubey]

I heard that if the airport gets expanded it would still be quieter than it was 10-15 years ago. These NIMBYs **** me off (although seeing as I live in Yorkshire it doesn't affect me), the airport expansion would be great for the town.

 

[Mad Cyril]

Southend airport was the airport used in Goldfinger

So are you saying we will see an inlfux of super villians and megalomaniacs into the area?

Can't imagine that doing much for house prices around the airport although places like Essex Way could benefit.

 

[Beefy]

And now a quite complimentary piece in the Independent talking about Southend's attempts to reinvent itself, the pier, the airport, etc.

Southend On Sea: The Land of Eastern Promise

 

[Mad Cyril]

It's about time people stopped treating us like c***s.