A HOUSING association has joined forces with Basildon Council to drive forward the long-awaited revamp of the Laindon Centre.

Swan Housing has teamed up with the Tory authority to refurbish the dilapidated centre, creating new shops and affordable housing as well as new benches and flowerbeds.

The centre, off High Road, was once the heart of Laindon, but it is now littered with graffiti and more than one in three of the shops are empty.

Swan Housing, which started in the borough two decades ago and now works in Essex and East London, vowed to create a “legacy” for the town after nearly 20 years of broken promises.

The affordable homes are designed to help get young people on the property ladder.

At the start of the year, the Echo revealed developers Mar City had exchanged contracts to take over the Laindon Centre, and the firm has since been looking for an established provider to carry out the revamp.

Basildon Council, which owns much of the land surrounding the site, has set aside £50,000 for the project.

Phil Turner, leader of administration, said: “This is the first and most important step forward in the regeneration of Laindon and I will be encouraging the team to consult residents about the masterplan for the area, so that together we can develop proposals the community will be proud of.

“This should bring a real feelgood factor because Swan Housing is a well-known name which started in Basildon all those years ago. We understand that the previous lack of progress may have caused frustration and we have been working hard behind the scenes.”

Bala Mahendran, chief executive of the council, added: “The council is committed to making a difference and has set funds aside to support cost effective community interventions that will improve the environment and vitality of the centre.

“We have been working closely with community representatives to identify projects that will make a difference.

“These small positive steps will revive the heart of this community now and for the future.”

Swan Housing also uses its regenerations as an opportunity to provide training and employment opportunities to local residents through apprenticeships.

Geoff Pearce, director of regeneration and development at the housing association, added: “Swan looks forward to working with Basildon Council, existing retailers, and, critically, local people, who are passionate about the regeneration of Laindon, to finally bring Laindon the central facilities it needs.”

It’s been 19 years already

TALK of regenerating the Laindon Centre has been in the air for 19 years, but work failed to progress.

Basildon Council first threatened to take compulsory purchase of the site in 2006 after Lakehill Investments failed to begin with work on 21 shops and 173 homes. A new major revamp, with a new supermarket, shops and houses, was promised in 2007 when Colonade, which later became Laindon Regeneration, bought the site for £11.5million in 2007, but the firm later ran into financial problems.

BDO took over the day-to-day running of the site and hired the Bride Hall Group to conduct a feasibility study and look at options for redevelopment, but there was a delay finding a potential buyer.

Mar City was named the new owner of the site in January.

Traders feeling positive

TRADERS are positive the promised regeneration of the Laindon Centre will now finally move forward – but admit they still have concerns.

Business owners at the centre told the Echo they have seen surveyors visiting the site and developers carrying out inspections.

However, they have seen the area become increasingly run-down, outdated and unpopular since revamp plans were first mooted 19 years ago.

Lewis Day, manager of Fish ‘n’ chick’n, who has worked at the Laindon Centre for ten years, said: “They certainly seem to be taking things seriously.

“We have been waiting so long for the regeneration.

There are a lot of businesses here which are really struggling, so it will definitely be good for them.

“We tend to see a lot of the same faces and there isn’t really any passing trade.

“The Laindon Centre used to be the hub of the community. I remember it with loads of market stalls and heaving with people. We need to get back to that. It’s hard to not be a bit sceptical because of all the broken promises.”