A rundown row of empty office blocks could be transformed into one of town’s “most sought after” areas.

New images revealed for the first time show what Victoria House, in Victoria Avenue, would look like if it is turned into 47 flats and eight plush penthouses.

The stretch of road is often labelled as one of Southend’s worst eyesores, but with another 60 two-bedroom apartments going on sale as part of the conversion of Pinnacle House, and plans to turn Baryta House into 72 flats, the area is looking up.

The Echo understands the Heath and Carby towerblocks are under offer, which could avoid Southend Council having to use Compulsory Purchase Orders to bring them back into use.

Paul Seager, director of APS Designs Associates, which is designing Victoria House for new investors Aldwych, said: “Victoria Avenue is going to be one of the most sought after parts of Southend because it will become a unique and quality area.

“When Heath and Carby are finally sold, it will create a great gateway to the town. We’re seeing a lot of investors waking up and looking at opportunities in the area, because there’s no doubt there is the demand for rental accommodation in Southend.

“The existing office buildings in Victoria Avenue have been derelict and unused for some time. However, the recent turn in the economy has encouraged developers to look more favourably at the development of this town.”

Runwood Homes had planning permission to turn Victoria House into a hotel, but this was never realised, and the new owner is to apply for permission to put two extra floors on top of the building for eight penthouses.

There is already planning permission in place for the 47 apartments, with work set to start creating them next week.

It is hoped theywill be ready in eight months time, but they could be available to buy from May.

The 60 two-bedroom apartments at the Pinnacle have already gone on sale, and are listed at £155,000 each, despite the works not being completed until the end of 2016.

A company called Pinnacle Southend Ltd, based in Peterborough, bought the tower block last autumn, and it will include 67 parking spaces.

Rochford-based Edan Investments Ltd has put forwards plans to convert Baryta House into 72 flats over ten floors, with 74 parking spaces.

Labour’s Ian Gilbert, who represents Victoria and is a Parliamentary candidate for Southend East and Rochford, said: “It’s good news that people are prepared to invest into Victoria Avenue as it is the main entry road into Southend and people are perhaps reluctant to invest in the town if they see a row of derelict buildings.

“It will also bring much-needed housing to the area, but we need to ensure the infrastructure in place, such as parking.

“For Heath and Carby, we would favour a mixed used development as with the housing it could end up a very intense area.”

Echo:

What the Pinnacle will look like by the end of 2016. Pictures from Haart.

 

Government rules allow for quick conversions but no social homes

ALL three conversions, if Baryta House is successful, will use new rules to bypass traditional planning laws.

Investors and developers can utilise the Permitted Development Rights Act, which was introduced by the Government in 2011, to encourage more conversions of vacant office space, enabling them to be brought back into use.

All three blocks are former offices, while Weston Homes has also done the same with its purchase of Essex House, on Southchurch Avenue.

Estate agents and architects say this legislation, which is designed to speed up the process, has encouraged developers to come forward, but they do not have to provide affordable housing as a result of it.

Normally, developers have to allocate 30 per cent of their plans for social housing.

Labour’s Ann Jones, councillor responsible for education at Southend Council, said: “The best thing we can hope for is social housing, and the next best is a mix of residential and businesses as that is what Southend is about.

“The area needs regeneration and it will give it a good boost, but it does not build resilient communities.

“The area is designed to be a business district, and while it is a good thing these applications are coming forward, we want the area to be a vibrant business district too.

“If the council did buy Carby and Heath, we would do something different about it.”

Echo:

Mike Gray (l) and Paul Seager outside  Victoria House

 

Rental demand oustripping supply 2:1

Rental demand is outstripping supply in Southend, which is encouraging a flood of developers to invest in the town.

That is the view of the estate agents who will be marketing some of flats available at the Pinnacle and Victoria House, in Victoria Avenue.

Conversion of the empty Baryta House could come forward, meaning 187 flats could be available on the road in the coming years.

Jake Gibson, branch manager of Haart in Hamlet Court Road, Westcliff, has been given 16 flats to market for the Pinnacle, with some of the 60 two-bedroom apartments already sold to overseas investors.

He said: “There is a lot of interest in them already and they’re going to go quite quickly, I think.

“We are finding that we are being able to sell quite quickly.

“We always want to get top price, rather than sell quickly, but we’re telling our vendors to hold on and they’ll get the asking price eventually.”

The development is set to be completed by the end of 2016.

Victoria House, which is next door and has been empty for at least seven years, will also have a new lease of life as 47 one, two, three-bedroom apartments, and eight penthouses are applied for.

Mike Gray, from estate agents Dedman Gray, who helped sell the building, said: “The rental market is continuing to be very strong and we’re seeing people paying slightly higher rent than in other places when there’s newly-built developments such as these in Victoria Avenue.

“A lot of our buy transactions in recent years have been sold to investors doing buy to lets.

“But we’re also seeing firsttime buyers now showing an interest in the market, particularly in Southend.”

Echo:

Preliminary work has started on Victoria House

 

Council has tried to get Victoria Avenue up and running again

Southend Council has tried to kickstart regeneration on Victoria Avenue for years.

Starting with the former Tory administration, the council nowhas £16million in its coffers for the area.

The Independent, Lib Dem, and Labour administration brought forward £8million in the previous Tory budget for Compulsory Purchase Orders of Heath and Carby Houses, which has been vacant for more than a decade.

But the council hopes the overseas owners of the derelict towers could sell them themselves, and it is understood they are now under offer.

The authority also helped to seal two bids for Government cash earlier this year.

In March, it was announced that £6.7million from the Local Growth Fund was to be made available to the council – and a large part of this will go to regenerating Victoria Avenue.

Earlier this year, the council also got Government cash from the City Deal, which gave half of a £1.35million redevelopment sum. Some £600,000 of that has gone into a Business Incubation Hub, above the former central library, and will open next month and aims to create 110 jobs over a decade.