NEW trees are being planted along the Golden Mile as the £7.6million City Beach project nears completion.

With only a month to go before it is supposed to be finished, councillors are hoping Southend seafront’s biggest makeover in decades will wow visitors and Southenders alike.

Having laid most of the paving, put up six 100ft-tall lighting columns and narrowed the road along Marine Parade, a total of 31 semi-mature trees are now being planted to the new-look Golden Mile, between the pier and the Kursaal.

Yesterday work was completed on the first section of tree planting, with senior Tory councillors John Lamb and Ian Robertson, who both have responsibility for the scheme, on hand to mark the occasion.

Other features of City Beach include a new public square, Mariner’s Square, with a walk-through fountain, and new paving on both sides of the road.

Mr Lamb said the lights had yet to be turned on and the new square and fountain remained to be finished off. Further planting still needs be done and some paving laid.

Mr Lamb added: “I think it’s looking really fabulous.

“City Beach is coming near to completion now.

“They have been testing out the lights and the feedback I’ve had is they will look really spectacular at night. I’m hoping we are still on budget and on time.”

The semi-mature trees planted at City Beach will be a mixture of mainly Mediterran-ean species including holm oak, stone pine, black pine and tamarisk.

The trees will all have trunks at least a foot around and at least 6ft 6ins tall.

City Beach, one of four £25million Better Southend schemes, has to be completed by March 31, to be sure of getting Government funding promised when it was proposed.