New state-of-the-art stadium for Southend United will create 1,557 jobs

Plans for the new Blues 21,000 seater stadium were lodged in April and registered last week, but have only now been made available publicly on Southend Council’s website, owing to their vast size.

The plans confirm the 18,516 square metre stadium site at Fossetts Farm in Eastern Esplanade, Southend, will include a club shop and a restaurant.

There will also be a 107-bedroom hotel on the north stand of the stadium, which Hilton Hotels have shown an interest in running.

A total of 376 homes will be built, with 182 apartments in the north stand and the remaining 194 apartments located in three separate blocks.

Two “soccer domes” are in the designs, one for community use and the other for the Southend United Football Club academy

The club has also applied for outline planning permission for 36,603 square metres of retail and restaurant space with room for a 12-screen cinema.

The scheme will be delivered in phases, with the first phase being the building of the east, west and south stands of the stadium accessed from Fossetts Way.

This will have a capacity of 13,893 seats.

It will be followed by the construction of the “Fan Plaza” residential area with shops on the ground floor.

More shops, restaurants and the cinema will follow and once complete work will start on the north stand with a 7,107-seat capacity along with further apartments.

The first part of the development will allow the club to move from its current Roots Hall site where it is planned to build more than 600 homes. This will provide the finance for the second part of the stadium development.

Weston Homes have already acquired the former Prospects College site at Roots Hall.

There have been concerns such a large retail complex on the outskirts of the borough would draw trade away from Southend town centre.

A retail study carried out for the stadium showed the proposal would “derive 32 per cent of its comparison goods turnover from Southend town centre”. In addition another 15 per cent of trade will be diverted from Southend retail parks.

However, the study said Southend town centre was “a vital and viable centre” and concludes therefore, that Southend will still be “vital and viable by 2022”.

Fears the town will not be able to sustain an additional cinema to the Odeon in High Street are also addressed in the plans.

The application said “Southend can comfortably accommodate the proposed multiplex which will provide welcome additional competition and choice to the existing Odeon, and the proposal will also provide cinema goers living in the Study Area with an alternative to travelling to visit the Empire cinema at Festival Park, which for Southend residents involves a round trip of around 26 miles.”