4:10pm Friday 12th March 2010
A CAMPAIGN group has been criticised for not backing multi-million pound regeneration plans for the town.
Ian Robertson (Con, Chalkwell Ward) said the Priory Crescent road-widening scheme, improvements to Victoria Circus and seafront improvements currently underway were unprecedented regeneration projects for the town in recent years.
He urged the Saxon King in Priory Park group, which is currently based at Cuckoo Corner to prevent trees being felled, to back improvements for the town.
He said: “We are spending millions on these projects and I think it is very sad these people can’t see this as progress and welcome it. This is the largest regeneration plan I have seen in my lifetime, so it is sad some people don’t embrace it.”
He also denied accusations that removal of trees from the cliffs in Westcliff caused slippage which could cost £40million to repair.
The council, which doesn’t have the necessary funding to correct the slippage, is proposing to allow a developer to build a hotel and museum to house the Saxon King remains found in Priory Park. But the campaign group, Skipp, believes a museum should be built on a brownfield site near where the remains were found.
Mr Robertson, said: “The cliffs started to slip long before the trees were cut down. Small slips were caused by the water table freezing and then melting. It is not practical for us to spend £40million to pile the whole cliffs up. Planting more trees on the cliffs may help stabilise them, but it would take more than 50 years to have any effect.”
Protesters spokeswoman Patsy Link responded angrily saying the plans were “degeneration plans not regeneration plans”.
She added: “They want to cover up their mistake of cutting the trees down on the cliffs by putting this hotel on the site.
“The Saxon King will be stuffed away somewhere on the fifth floor without even having his own gallery. The Saxon King shouldn’t be on the seafront with all the kiss-me-quick hats.”
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