Get involved...
Get involved: send your pictures, video, news and views by texting ECHONEWS to 80360, or email us Click here for details »
Southend illuminations out until 2010
3:27pm Friday 18th January 2008
Comments (11)THE lights are likely to go out on Southend seafront until 2010, it has been revealed.
Southend Council has contributed £30,000 towards the cost of disposing of the old illuminations and starting a study into the provision of a new, more modern display.
The Southend Seafront Illuminations and Business Association pulled the plug on the lights at the start of last year because of spiralling costs and increasing maintenance.
Originally, it was hoped the Golden Mile would shine once again by 2009, but indecision over a design for the lights has meant it will probably be put back another 12 months.
Business association chairman Roger Fisher said: "At this stage, most of the old illuminations have been taken down.
"All the set pieces and festoons have gone and it is beginning to look very sparse along the seafront.
"I am in the process of organising a meeting for seafront businesses to look at the way forward, and with the council over possible design issues."
Mr Fisher said he no longer thought the lights would be up and running in 2009.
He said: "To be realistic, I do not think it would be practical to even make a decision on the final form of the lights until the beginning of 2009, so the realistic date would be 2010.
"At the moment, it is all a little premature, as a lot of preliminary work needs to be carried out. We have to examine what members want and the council's view.
"As an organisation, the association has a certain amount of money available to prime the new illuminations, but cost will also be a factor."
Mr Fisher said he felt the new illuminations were likely to be a blend of the old and the new.
He said: "There will be some traditional features in the new display.
"But there will also be more new designs and means of illumination with lower-voltage bulbs, which will be more eco friendly and better for the environment.
"The old lights were a mains system, which was expensive to run and not cost effective."
Your Say YourEcho
Syupid Spud, Thorpe Bay says...
6:55pm Fri 18 Jan 08
Was very good too.
Tim, Pathetic Southend-On-Sea says...
7:57pm Fri 18 Jan 08
Peter Pantsless, Southend-on-Sea says...
8:35pm Fri 18 Jan 08
Southend Council have done us proud again.
They should be ashamed of themselves, but they are arent and they really dont care.
Not a day hasnt gone by in the last fortnight or so in which the echo hasnt reported on another SBC disgracefull decision.
They (the torys)really do not deserve to be our boroughs administritive authority.
The borough of Southend-on-Sea is fast becoming a laughing stock.
How are we ever going to be able to compete with other seaside resorts like hastings, weymouth, clacton and even walton-on-naze, let alone blackpool and bournemouth.
Canvey/Castle Point has more to offer than Southend these days.
This week alone the echo has enlightened us on the following tory blunder/ideas..
Relocate library 200yds,
Demolish the Civic centre,
Midnight Traffic Wardens,
Council Tax increase of almost 5%,
Demolish Warrior Square Pool,
7% carpark increase to make it fairer??,
And now this!
Who cares who's in charge after the next local elections, as long as it isnt these tory buffoons!
Anybody with the intelligence of an Amoeba could do a better job representing the towns and its residents best interests.
Kinds Regards, Peter Pantsless.
Stupid Spud, Thorpe Bay says...
11:00pm Fri 18 Jan 08
A few points, The Libary needs some major work its not user friendly and either needs replacing or the void filling in, new lifts and possibly an escilator.
The Lights were in a very poor condition and do need replacing why rush it anf have "fairy" lights when you can sit down and design set pieces that are more eco friendly.
Blackpool & Bournemouth both recive a much larger grant than Southend look ot up its fact not BS so natrally thing will look better but you go and live in them places people will say just the same thing as you are
Lets face facts Southend will never recive a fair slice of the pie whilst one party is in govenment and another runs the town.
Labour have failed the country get them out I could do a better job on my own!
Trainman, says...
11:42pm Fri 18 Jan 08
here's one who will NOT be visiting the resort this year and as much as I like it.
WHEN are the next elections again???????
Mr.Grim, Southend says...
7:53am Sat 19 Jan 08
SJohnstone, Westcliff says...
9:39am Sat 19 Jan 08
Dan, North Leigh says...
6:21pm Sat 19 Jan 08
Peter Pantsless wrote:Fair enough you're trying to make a point that the council are useless, but get a few of your facts right first.
Its an absolute disgrace.
Southend Council have done us proud again.
They should be ashamed of themselves, but they are arent and they really dont care.
Not a day hasnt gone by in the last fortnight or so in which the echo hasnt reported on another SBC disgracefull decision.
They (the torys)really do not deserve to be our boroughs administritive authority.
The borough of Southend-on-Sea is fast becoming a laughing stock.
How are we ever going to be able to compete with other seaside resorts like hastings, weymouth, clacton and even walton-on-naze, let alone blackpool and bournemouth.
Canvey/Castle Point has more to offer than Southend these days.
This week alone the echo has enlightened us on the following tory blunder/ideas..
Relocate library 200yds,
Demolish the Civic centre,
Midnight Traffic Wardens,
Council Tax increase of almost 5%,
Demolish Warrior Square Pool,
7% carpark increase to make it fairer??,
And now this!
Who cares who's in charge after the next local elections, as long as it isnt these tory buffoons!
Anybody with the intelligence of an Amoeba could do a better job representing the towns and its residents best interests.
Kinds Regards, Peter Pantsless.
Are you honestly trying to say there's more to do in castle point than southend? All Castle Point is is southend's sprawl. There's naff all there other than houses.
And seeing as Hastings is oficially and statistically the UK's MOST DEPRIVED seaside town, I think we can safely say we're better off than them. Have you been to Hastings or Bognor Regis? FAR worse.
Fed-up from Westcliff, says...
10:56pm Sat 19 Jan 08
Makes sense! It needs to take them that long, as there is hardly a brain cell amongst them.
Miss D Meaner, Vicarage Hill says...
3:29am Sun 20 Jan 08
I'm no admirer of CPBC, but please try to compare like with like and, remember that there are apparently, no plans to demolish any swimming pools in CPBC! SBC are a useless bunch of clowns who fully deserve the same monitoring that CPBC were under - why it has not happened, is anyone's guess.
The lights are coming down
In this section
- College in search for old bangers
- New look for South Woodham Ferrers town square
- Man threatened with iron bar
- Updated: Police name cyclist killed in crash
- Essex County Council leader Lord Hanningfield faces police probe
- Bus firm to axe service if parking problem persists
- Consultation mistake angers parking critics
- Emergency plan advice on offer from the council
- Waiter used karate to stop knifepoint robber
- Tributes to mum-of-four killed in A127 crash
Sponsored Links
Local Advertisers
Local Information
Enter your postcode, town or place name
Hurri, Southend says...
5:05pm Fri 18 Jan 08