PLUSH apartments will soon become the norm in Southend as more and more Londoners flock to the coast, according to the businessman spending £15million on transforming an iconic pub.

CG Pattersson, managing director of Swedish firm Redab Properties, outlined his company’s plans to demolish the 100-year-old Esplanade pub, in Western Esplanade, and replace it with a restaurant and 24 apartments.

Mr Pattersson said the town could experience a surge of people moving out of London and picking up seaside apartments to avoid high prices in the capital.

The pub plan is the latest investment in the seafront after Marine Plaza and the redevelopment of Seaway car park.

Mr Pattersson said: “In three years’ time, the pressure will be on Southend to welcome thousands of people who are working in London.

“Southend has a reputation for people just coming for the day, but we’re seeing London people want to live here, and this gives them a chance to sit on a terrace in the sun, opposite the sea, at a fraction of the price of living in the capital.

“Not that many people from Europe have heard of Southend. The town needs to put up its arm and say ‘we are here and we are great’.”

Southend is already adapting to the demands of London commuters with swanky apartments on offer at Nirvana, in The Leas, Westcliff, and at Eden Point, in Broadway West, Leigh.

Some properties at Eden Point are selling for upwards of £1million, but only three remain.

Nirvana hasn’t been so successful as it has been the subject of legal wrangles since it was completed in 2012, but it was given a recent shot in the arm by entrepreneur David Lloyd, who plans to add a sauna, gym, swimming pool and rooftop terrace to it.

Mr Pattersson is confident his apartments will be able to compete. He said: “They will be higher quality, with a robust design, and we can offer apartments next to the sea with secure parking.”

Also included in the plans is 7,000sq ft of restaurant space.

If permission is granted in the coming months, demolition will start in November, with the new development taking two years to build.

Expected prices for the new Esplanade development will range from £600,000 to £800,000.

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One million to shore up cliffs

Redab properties is putting forward more than £1million to shore up subsiding cliffs behind its development.

The Swedish firm, which bought the Esplanade pub in September, intends to plough £1.25million into stabilising the cliff slippage behind the building – a long-term issue.

It will propose the project as part of a planning sweetener to Southend Council, instead of offering up any social housing.

The architect behind the design of the building said, if the cliffs were shored up, it could create a tree-lined “winter garden” for residents, which would act as the entrance to the apartments.

Ben Stagg, from Stagg Architects, said: “We will go for wooden beams on the outside that give a soft edge to the development, and we will put in greenery surrounding it to make it an attractive entrance for tenants.”

Redab boss CG Pattersson added: “As part of the construction, essential piling will be required to stabilise the cliff area and, subject to planning approval, this will be handled to cause the least amount of disruption to both local residents and wildlife.”

If agreed by Southend Council, the cliff works will be in tandem with the authority’s own project to stabilise the cliffs below Clifton Drive in Westcliff, with £460,000 earmarked in the budget.

The site already has planning approval for a 58-bedroom block of flats, but no operators have come forward and the Echo understands the council has some reservations about losing the site as a hotel.

Echo:

CGI of the winter gardens entrance to the apartments

Southend Council’s deputy leader Graham Longley said: “The council welcomes any development in the town which helps the future of Southend and contributes towards its needs.

“We look forward to working with the developers to ensure we get a development which is acceptable.”

Redab claims its development will also generate up to 35 per cent renewable energy, including solar panels and underground heat pumps.

Pearl Jam played first ever European gig at Esplanade

Echo: Pearl Jam perform at the Made In America music festival in Philadelphia (Drew Gurian/Invision/AP)

Pearl Jam

THE Esplanade pub was a pillar of the local music scene for many years.

US grunge titans Pearl Jam, who have sold 60 million records worldwide, are the most stellar name to rock up at the venue.

The band picked the Southend pub to play their first European gig back in 1992, when they were touring with their seminal Ten album.

The five-piece grunge band have gone on to play some of the biggest festivals in the world, and have packed out arenas.

South Essex pub rockers Dr Feelgood also started gigging there 40 years ago, and played the venue twice in the Nineties.

 

Design won't please everyone - architect

THE architect behind the grandiose plans admits its design won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but said Southend needs to move with the times.

The new design will replace a 100-year-old building, in another example of the borough losing some of the more traditional parts of its seafront.

The likes of Marine Plaza, Nirvana, and Adventure Island have all sought to bring Southend into the 21st century, while the area is seeing a rise in fine-dining outlets such as steak and lobster house Bourgee.

Ben Stagg, of Londonbased Stagg Architects, said: “This part of the landscape is very subjective and this might not be everyone’s cup of tea.

“Some may want to keep the Victorian look of the building, but I don’t think that will be right. This site gave us an opportunity to build a high-quality contemporary building. A lot of people like that kind of modern look.”

Echo:

Ben Stagg, Coletee Bailey, and CG Petterson outside the existing building

 

Arts group to create landmark mural on side of building

REDAB will give an arts group £40,000 to create a huge mural on the site of its development.

The firm has asked Metal Culture to come up with a huge 10x5m artwork.

Colette Bailey, artistic director at Metal, said: “This would mean we could create an artwork that would be a landmark piece and attract interest from all over the world.

“Redab is prepared to offer Metal a realistic budget which would allow us to commission a world renowned artist.”