Long-dormant town square cafe may finally open (From Echo)
Get involved: send your pictures, video, news and views by texting ECHONEWS to 80360, or email us »
Long-dormant town square cafe may finally open
11:30am Monday 18th March 2013 in News By David Trayner
Councillor Andrew Moring outside the kiosk
A CAFE that lay empty for most of the two years since it was built may finally be open in time for summer.
Southend Council is considering offers from several people who want to take over Warrior Square Gardens Kiosk, which has been open for just five of the 22 months since its completion.
The kiosk opened as a cafe and takeaway selling sandwiches and hot drinks between May and October last year, but problems with the roof and ventilation system have prevented it ever opening permanently.
Andrew Moring, Tory councillor responsible for property, said: “We were disappointed about the shaky start with the first tenant.
“We are delighted that so many people have shown interest and look forward to working with them to select the best tenant for the town.
“It’s fortuitous that summer seems to finally be on its way and we can see Warrior Square being full of tourists, workers on lunch breaks and shoppers taking a break picnicking in the sun.”
The council refused to reveal how many people are in the running as it carries out pre-contract negotiations, but it received “a number” of expressions of interest before the deadline at the end of February.
Comments are closed on this article.
Comments (29)
11:47am Mon 18 Mar 13
Saxonpride says...
11:53am Mon 18 Mar 13
perini says...
Summer on it's way - really! Only if you count scraping half an inch of ice from the windscreen typical summer weather I suppose!
12:00pm Mon 18 Mar 13
jayman says...
12:06pm Mon 18 Mar 13
jayman says...
12:15pm Mon 18 Mar 13
Soouthchurch59 says...
Who stole the 'I'.... !?
12:29pm Mon 18 Mar 13
westcliffboy says...
So, Cllr Moring. Have you: sought to reclaim costs from the original architect and manufacturer? Have you investigated the officers who passed this as fit for purpose? We should be told!
12:37pm Mon 18 Mar 13
Cosmo Spring says...
1:05pm Mon 18 Mar 13
Not A Native says...
A number? Why can't they say how many? Zero is a number, and not an unlikely one in this case.
1:23pm Mon 18 Mar 13
Sir Peter Pantsless the 3rd says...
It's completely not fit for purpose (that goes for the Council aswell!)
Another day, another Southend Council FAIL!
Wonder what tomorrows epic fail from the council will be?
Can anyone remember anything in recent history that the council was involved in that wasnt a failure?
1:31pm Mon 18 Mar 13
Nebs says...
Convert it into an enormous grit bin, in readiness for next winter.
1:40pm Mon 18 Mar 13
Derek_Christmas says...
1:48pm Mon 18 Mar 13
mys842 says...
1:48pm Mon 18 Mar 13
Saxonpride says...
There it is, a lovely green area, a place where families should be picnicking and dogs should be chasing frisbees and whatnot, and yet people still know it as 'Rape Square'.
I had hoped that the revamp would improve the situation, but lo and behold, upon walking home from work last year, it was taped off, there were cops everywhere and another foul perversion had been committed.
To be frank, the situation is intolerable.
It is a nice area in the heart of our commercial district. We cannot allow either drug dealers or the homeless or sexual predators to sully it.
3:20pm Mon 18 Mar 13
emcee says...
-
...and the award for sickening optomism goes to...
Before the council start to rub their hands with glee they need to hang their heads in shame. Firstly to allow so much money to be spent on this building in the first place, money that will take forever to recoup from rents. Secondly to allow the architect, constructors and council officers who passed the finished building as complete and fit for use, to get away with providing a facility that is NOT what was paid for. Why have these people not been held to account and, in the case of constuctors/architec
ts, not been fined and refunds obtained for shoddy design/workmanship?
3:46pm Mon 18 Mar 13
Sir Peter Pantsless the 3rd says...
Whats the betting this would come in at under half what the council spent on that ridiculous wonky greenhouse.
5:20pm Mon 18 Mar 13
jaguarxxv says...
7:06pm Mon 18 Mar 13
Joe Wildman-Clark says...
Why don't people check thie facts first before posting?
Is it because you are you too thick, too lazy and just do not care about facts to do so?
http://www.southendt
imeline.com/warriors
quaregardens.htm
9:49pm Mon 18 Mar 13
Broadwaywatch says...
10:07pm Mon 18 Mar 13
Broadwaywatch says...
11:00pm Mon 18 Mar 13
Joe Wildman-Clark says...
I can't understand why people will not check facts before posting their comments, they make themselves look stupid and foolish.
Oh a word of advice don’t try roller blading for the first time when you’re the wrong side of 40, never knew I could do the splits like that, I’ll be walking funny for the rest of the week!
11:19pm Mon 18 Mar 13
gangsta_len says...
8:50am Tue 19 Mar 13
Broadwaywatch says...
10:31am Tue 19 Mar 13
heartbeat says...
Let's not also forget the "marvels of modern construction" that have been costing council tax payers a fortune that are the arches under Pier Hill, also built defectively with structural problems.
Complete and utter and EXPENSIVE inefficiency is what we get from Southend Council. Why on EARTH do taxpayers have to keep footing the bill for the inefficient way our money is spent? Do they not get building works checked properly before they are "signed off"? If they do, then why doesn't insurance cover these defects? All the time these places stand empty it is money lost which could be going towards Council-run services.
If Council members had a bit more intelligence and business-sense they would be able to afford to keep care homes open for the elderly and other services for residents.
Anyone been stuck in the lift down from Pier HIll recently (faulty workmanship there too, allegedly...)
5:45pm Tue 19 Mar 13
Audioman says...
6:43pm Tue 19 Mar 13
Joe Wildman-Clark says...
it was worth it as we rised £1800 and manflu!
6:51pm Tue 19 Mar 13
Joe Wildman-Clark says...
http://www.southendt
imeline.com/pierhill
.htm
Always helps to check the full facts before posting, make you look less of a fool, when the facts are easy and quick to find.
8:37pm Tue 19 Mar 13
southend brummie says...
10:38pm Wed 20 Mar 13
echoforum says...
Cafe faces away from high street thus is it open or not?
Plus coffee shops are aplenty,but with this cafe ..no seats so you wander around druggie sq holding on your latte watching out for the unhinged.
Seriously poor planning/execution/d
esign and did anyone ask the public?
2:17am Thu 21 Mar 13
Andycal 172D says...