Just saw this on Google News. Thought it made a decent read:
Mapping the Economy: Can a cultural makeover restore Southend?
Mapping the Economy: Can a cultural makeover restore Southend?
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!
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.
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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.
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.
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.
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