RESIDENTS at the heart of one of the biggest redevelopment projects in a generation have broadly welcomed it.

Mike Smith, secretary of the Queensway Community Group, said: “I am in favour of it. We know the estate is rundown because the design isn’t good. If the blocks were refurbished it would look better but it would cost a lot of money and the layout of the estate isn’t ideal for many reasons.

“We have been shown a slide-show of the project. It’s only a draft plan but it makes the area look very different. People were generally quite happy with it.

Mr Smith added: “I was quite relieved as I’m a leaseholder and I was worried I would have to move and find another home but we are going to be offered new flats.

“We have been promised we can do a straight swap with a flat in one of the other tower blocks on another estate or be offered the market value of our flats and then find new homes. We can also have one of the swankier flats on the new development that we would part own.”

Some residents are said to be concerned about disruption and dust from the building work, particularly the elderly but John Lamb, leader of Southend Council, said everything would be done to help residents adapt.

He said “Whilst delivering a major regeneration project like this will inevitably lead to some inconvenience and disruption when the physical works start, we will do all we can to keep the tenants and leaseholders’ needs at the forefront of our mind to minimise this.

Mr Lamb said working out a policy on the best way to move people throughout the redevelopment would be key and would include possible disturbance payments.

.Mr Lamb added: “Because large parts of the regeneration site are vacant and can be used as early phases to develop new homes, we will do our best to ensure that residents only have to move once. That will all be down to the planning and phasing of the project and we want to make sure we manage that as best we can. “