8:25am Thursday 15th May 2008
By Geoff Percival
THE University of Essex has ditched £12 million plan to revamp the former Prudential building in Southend town centre.
Proposals to transform the area around the Elmer Approach site, including Farringdon car park, with a cafe and boutique shops have now been thrown into limbo.
The imaginative plan for a local eyesore was one of the last suggestions of the university's former Southend campus director Linda Jones before she moved to a new job.
Southend Council granted planning permission earlier this year for the refurbishment, which would have involved glazing the top floors of the former Pru building to give spectacular views over the town and the Thames Estuary.
These floors would have been used for exhibitions, seminar and drama performances, with teaching a reason the floors below.
The former Cliff Town United Reformed Church in Nelson Street - bought by the University last year - now looks likely to fulfil a similar role, with its East 15 drama school slated to move in.
London property developer, Squarestone, bought the old Pru building for £12million in March 2007.
An un-named source at the university said: "Effectively, it seems as if the whole of the Elmer Approach scheme is now in limbo because of this."
In a statement, University of Essex spokesman Katharine Clayton said: "Over the past few years, the university has worked with successive owners of the tower block in Elmer Approach to renovate it for university use.
"In recent months, a variety of options have been considered including student residences, office and teaching space and creative and cultural facilities.
"Unfortunately, detailed costings of the options have revealed the tower block is not a financially viable development for the university.
"The University of Essex is committed to further development of its Southend Campus, thereby contributing to the continuing regeneration of the town.
"Securing student accommodation and refurbishing the former church for use by East 15 are now the university's top priorities."
Is Palace Hotel scheme at risk, too?
RISING costs may also force Essex University to pull out of the restoration of the Palace Hotel, sources are suggesting.
The building is owned by London-based developer the Yianis Group - headed by Greek Cypriot multi-millionaire John Christodolou.
Work is well under way on the Edwardian hotel - only this week an extension near the footpath between St John's Church and Lucy Road was demolished.
But neither the owner, nor the university will comment on the likely fate of the hotel. Work ought to have finished by now, according to schedules announced last year.
Until a few days ago, the Yianis website said the hotel was being refurbished as a four-star hotel "in conjunction with the University of Essex". All references to the university's involvement have since been removed.
The Echo has repeatedly tried to contact the group, only to be told the person concerned was out of the office but would call back. No one never did.
Essex University spokesman Katharine Clayton would only say: "We are still in discussions with the owner regarding possible development options."
However, one informed source said: "It very much seems the university has overstretched itself in Southend and some belt-tightening is now having to go on."
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