I recently had to make a rare excursion into Southend High Street and walked from Victoria station down to the Royals.

What greeted me was a sad, tired and depressed road which was once bustling.

I know times have changed and the world of shopping is different, but how can this decline have happened?

Much money has been spent on paving, street furniture and the shared space, but this has done little to change the appearance of a now depressed High Street.

Warrior Square has been tidied up, but there is still an undesirable element lurking, and it fails to be very welcoming.

There are rays of light, including the two main shopping malls and some major outlets.

It’s no good dreaming that the good old days will come back, and there need to be more attempts to regenerate.

Surely the huge pedestrian precinct is outdated and could be put to better use.

Regular street markets would inject some life.

The council is missing an opportunity by not moving York Road market into the High Street. It has died in the back street in the same way as Rayleigh market was doing until it moved back into its High Street.

There were fears traders would lose business. The opposite is the case.

It will take more than a market to change Southend High Street, but something needs to be done urgently.

Chris Jones
Hollytree Gardens
Rayleigh

...I rarely visit Southend town centre these days, mainly because I don’t find it very inviting and because of the parking problems.

Recently we decided to eat at the Pipe of Port, parking in the car park behind M&S just before 7pm. There weren’t many cars in the car park I and assumed it was because it was early.

Last time I parked in this car park it was free after 6pm, but no longer.

I returned to my car about 9pm and the car park was still almost empty.

I assume maybe this was because a parking fee now had to be paid.

What impact is this having on High Street businesses?

Derek Matthews
Weare Gifford
Shoebury

...Southend wants to create a public square in Essex Street as a part of the town centre revamp.

This would be better located in Alexandra Street where the old cinema is, especially if the two small car parks there were sold for the development of flats and cafes.

It would also attract daytrippers walking to and from the seafront.

York Road market could be in the old TJ Hughes building as an all year round indoor market, attracting more custom with locals and daytrippers.

On a different note, why do we need a new Tesco on the old B&Q site when there will be a new Sainsbury’s at Roots Hall?

The B&Q site would be ideal for apartments. They would not all need parking allocation, as the site is next to the town centre and Victoria station, ideal for commuting to London, Chelmsford and Stratford.

Alan Robinson
Park Lane
Southchurch

...It seems former Southend Council leader Anna Waite is on the stomp again. This time, it’s drug addicts, single mothers and drunks who are preventing the shops in Southend being viable.

I would have thought a major contributor to Southend’s woes is not the aforementioned so much as the queues to get into Southend at the weekend and the lack of parking facilities, plus the exorbitant charges, once in. Also, the traffic wardens and camera cars are enough to put anyone off venturing into Southend.

Is it any wonder the customers and the upmarket shops Mrs Waite would like to see are giving Southend a miss?

M T Binder
Elm Road
Leigh