A NEW primary school could be built off Victoria Avenue as part of exciting new plans to revive the road dominated by empty office blocks.

The school has been proposed for the eastern side of the road, which is the main route into Southend.

It forms part of a design brief for the area drawn up by regeneration company Renaissance Southend.

Demolishing most of the tall Sixties office blocks to create new homes and shops and create more open space are among proposals.

Renaissance Southend also wants to replace the large surface car parks with multi-storey ones to free up space and remodel the Civic Square with more trees and grassy areas.

The design brief is due to be published in the next month or so, but details of it have been revealed in a planning application for a new hotel in the street at Victoria House.

It states: “The transformation of the Victoria Avenue neighbourhood will include demolition of the majority of the tall office blocks and their replacement with a mixture of residential and commercial development.”

The brief suggests recommending developers who build in the area to contribute to the local infrastructure, including the new primary school as well as a cycle hire centre and improvements to roads and pavements.

Renaissance Southend’s deputy chairman, Murray Foster, said: “I think this is something very much needed for Victoria Avenue, but deliverability is a challenge.

“Everything is somewhat limited by the current Government funding situation and the private sector market.

“We realise it’s going to be a long haul.

“But who would have thought the Palace Hotel could come back to life or Southend Airport expand during a recession? So anything’s possible.”

Southend Council leader Nigel Holdcroft said he was not aware of any specific plans for a new school in the area.

He said: “There’s nothing specific I know of at the moment.

“I suspect it is part of the general design plans for the area, and is probably just an aspiration for the future need.”

Renaissance Southend first proposed its ideas for the revamp in a consultation at the Victoria Shopping Centre in March.Feedback from the public has been used as part of the design brief, which will undergo a further consultation.

It will then be discussed by councillors before it becomes part of the council’s planning policy to guide development for the area.

Mike Lambert, chief executive of Renaissance Southend, said: “We are aware there may be a need for a new primary school to serve that part of Victoria ward.

“We are looking at whether or not there is a suitable site for it as part of the design brief for the area.Whether the school is included is subject to further discussion with the council.”