Current projects
Project Name: REMeDY
Purpose: Energy
Project status: Ongoing estimated end date: May 2022
Cost: £4.7 million
Project information
We are looking at the ways in which we use energy in the city centre through REMeDY, which means Revolution in Energy Market Design.
Funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) the idea is to design a private energy network for power, heating and vehicle charging. The major benefit to Southend will be the ability to generate and supply low carbon energy, providing cheaper energy and reducing the pressure on the existing power grid. This will help us achieve our goal of becoming net carbon zero by 2030.
The next stage of the project is to test the scheme in several sites, including:
- residential properties
- commercial properties
- new builds
- older buildings
We are also assessing the Victoria Shopping Centre to find a low carbon solution to driver performance and improve costs
Project name: Cool Towns
Purpose: Energy
Project status: Ongoing estimated end date: September 2022
Cost: €717,239.30 of external European funding
Project information
This project is looking at ways to bring more plants, trees and greenery into the city centre to reduce heat stress and offer a safer and more welcoming space for residents and visitors.
It is part of the wider Interreg 2 Seas programme, but Cool Towns is also involved with Southend’s city Centre Redevelopment Improvement Project (TRIPS) and Southend Central Area Transport Scheme (S-CATS) as all projects have an aim to improve and enhance the city centre.
Project name: Southend Central Area Transport Scheme (S-CATS)
Purpose: Modernisation and improvements
Project status: Ongoing Estimated end date: April 2021
Cost: £4 million total - funded though the Local Growth Fund via South East Local Enterprise Partnership (SELEP)
Project information
This project has been supported by PROJECT SUNRISE which is European funded and has helped to carry out consultation with local people, visitors and businesses about what they want to see in the entrance to the High Street from College Way to Victoria Circus.
Work is ongoing to modernise the north end of the High Street, improve travel connections, enhance public space and support housing and employment growth.
Key features of the works include:
- realigning the road to restrict vehicles and encourage more pedestrian to move freely throughout the area
- new access restrictions onto the High Street from London Road to be controlled by CCTV and a rising bollard system
- landscaping improvements with Sustainable Urban Drainage System
- new trees, greenery and planters
- modern paving improving accessibility and the general look of the area
- improved street lighting and CCTV
- relocating taxi bays along London Road
- new secure cycle parking, benches and planters
- better signs for people to find their way to key destinations in and around the High Street
Project name: Southend city Centre Interventions Project (STCIP)
Purpose: To analyse the way the High Street is used in order to make improvements
Project status: Ongoing estimated end date: September 2021
Cost: £2.5 million
Project information
The project looks at ways in which the High Street is used as a destination to dwell and its integration with the wider public realm. The overall objective to support the regeneration and revitalisation of Southend city centre by:
- creating a welcoming and attractive place in the heart of Southend with connectivity between venues and places of interest
- providing 0% loans to encourage businesses to take up vacant ground floor units and redevelop vacant upper floor units
- providing shop front grant to encourage businesses to invest in external shop renovations in terms of design, cleanliness and safety
- look at our ambition to become a leading Digital Smart City by implementing footfall and performance data infrastructure across the city centre to provide insights about city centre performance
- investing in vacant retail space and introduce business-led activities in the city centre
Project name: CCTV upgrade
Purpose: To improve safety
Project status: Ongoing
Cost: £2.2 million
Project information
Southend-on-Sea was an early adopter of CCTV and now our technology needs upgrading.
The news system will include:
- an extra 40 cameras in addition to the 165 already in place around the whole of the city
- replacing the existing digital cameras with digital CCTV, which can zoom further, pan wider and produce images of a higher resolution
By improving our system, we hope this will help reunite a lost child with a parent, support crime prevention and detection, support Essex Police in their criminal investigations, and act as a deterrent.
Project name: Marketing
Purpose: To promote and publicise Southend-on-Sea as an exciting place to live, work, visit and invest.
Project status: Ongoing Estimated end date: Summer 2021
Project information
The Council, along with the cultural, business and civic community has been working with Hemmingway Design consultation to develop new place branding. This will market Southend-on-Sea as a desirable and exciting destination to live, work, invest and visit.
Following lockdown, a media and marketing strategy will be developed to take this project further forward, raising the profile of the city and increasing the number of visitors to our businesses, venues and beaches.
Project name: New event process
Purpose: To make events in Southend-on-Sea easier to plan and organise.
Project status: Ongoing estimated end date: Summer 2021
Project information
There are hundreds of events in Southend-on-Sea every year, with the city centre and seafront providing an excellent opportunity to bring festivals and performances to regenerate the city.
Events applications are being simplified to help organisers deliver safe and engaging activity. Prototypes have already been tested and the process should be introduced in 2021.