‘Save our cliffs from development of flats’

The Saxon King in Priory Park group, known as SKIPP, has placed a banner emblazoned with ‘Sack council, save the cliffs’ on the cliffs at Westcliff. The area is where the Esplanade pub is set to be developed into flats and where the council hopes to build a new museum to house the remains of a Saxon King found near Priory Park in 2003.

Campaigners want the remains to be housed in Priory Park instead of on the cliffs.

A spokesman for the group said: “Whether it be by design or sheer incompetence, Southend Council now poses one of the greatest threats that our town has had to face in its long and illustrious history as a seaside resort.

“The deliberate council policy of allowing and indeed initiating commercial development on our historic Cliff Gardens has to be opposed. If we do not take action now our town faces the very real threat of watching helplessly as its council colludes with developers to spread the blight of concrete and steel across the entire cliffs from the Pier to the Pavilion. “

The group added: “The Esplanade Pub and cliff slip carbuncle museum are just the beginning and once the flood gates are open the concrete will spill across the cliffs like a tsunami of ugliness.

“With the local elections only just around the corner the people of Southend have the opportunity to defend the town from the arrogant lot in their ivory civic tower by voting them out. Sack the council to save the cliffs.”

Beyond the Box Developments, the owners of the pub and the neighbouring fish and chip shop want to build 49 flats and two restaurants in Clifftown Shore.

Andrew Lewis, deputy chief executive of Southend Council, said: “It is essential that any future developments along this section of the cliffs complement this key stretch of our seafront.

“Any applications for developments must comply with planning policy and will be determined on their individual merits. The public will have the opportunity to give feedback on any proposals.”