Revive offices in Victoria Avenue, Southend, says businessman (From Echo)

Revive offices in Victoria Avenue, Southend, says businessman

6:00am Monday 22nd March 2010 in

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A BUSINESSMAN has welcomed the council’s planned transformation of Victoria Avenue but said he would like to see it revived as an office quarter.

New homes, shops and green spaces are among the ideas proposed by Renaissance Southend, on behalf of the council, for a major revamp of the road, which is filled with empty 1960s office blocks.

Bill Harkness is managing director of Delamere Estates which owns the Victoria Shopping Centre in the High Street.

He said: “We really must address Victoria Avenue.

“It’s a terrible introduction to the town. “I’m in favour of any initiatives from the local authority but they have to work on an economic basis.

“There’s no point in producing wonderful plans for something that will never happen.

“Housing and offices in my opinion.

“I’m not a residential developer, but the market is pretty terrible at the moment for residential development.

“It definitely shouldn’t be earmarked for retail, which should be concentrated between the two major centres and the High Street.

“What I would like to see is for that to be made into a really smart office quarter.

“Anyone coming from London would see the empty office blocks and think: ‘It’s not the place for us.’

“That’s the problem.

“We want some innovative developer to take on the sites down there and produce quality office blocks to attract some of the big firms from London.

“If you knock down everything, you would have no offices or place for them.”

The council’s ideas are currently on display at a public consultation exhibition in the Victoria Centre.

David Balcombe, Renaissance Southend project manager said he anticipated gradual development involving a mix of newer buildings with some of the better older ones, rather than a “sweeping away” of everything there.

He said: “We want more pragmatic options in the current economic climate.

“So not comprehensive development but something a bit more staggered and phased.”

Mr Balcombe also big shops would be unlikely because the shopping areas of London Road and the High Street are nearby.

One of the ideas is to give a makeover to Civic Square which would have more trees and grass planted there and possibly a cycle hire facility at the bus stop.