LONG-SUFFERING residents of four Southend town centre tower blocks have spoken of their hopes for the future as a £500m redevelopment scheme moves ahead.

Final details for the huge Queensway redevelopment scheme are now imminent as bosses prepare for a full planning application for the scheme, the biggest regeneration scheme Southend has seen.

For long-suffering Queensway residents, the regeneration scheme cannot come too soon.

Tenants and homeowners have endured years of antisocial behaviour, drug dealing and vandalism, while there homes have become more and more dilapidated.

Malvern flats resident Mike Smith, 71, said: “People are looking forward to a better layout for the estate and a more pleasant environment.

“I am going to be sitting on the Swan Housing strategy group for residents.

"We were going to get together and pose our ideas but unfortunately we’ve not been able to meet because of the lockdown but we are hoping some ideas will spring from that.

“Some of the blocks will have 16 to 17 storeys from the current 15 storeys but that doesn’t bother me as I like being quite high up where the air is better and it’s quieter. Some people prefer living on the ground though so everyone is different.

“I don’t think some elderly residents will be around to see it all happen though.”

Mr Smith added: “They need to get it right from day one. I have a financial stake in this as I’m a leaseholder and all that is yet to be sorted out. For tenants it won’t be a problem.

“It’s a long process and people get bored. We don’t have many people turning up to events but this is definitely going ahead and people should turn up to hear about updates. It will be too late when they are given notice they are moving out.

“One of the main things to come up is making the estate safer so not having people drifting in off the streets. People just wander in. I noticed recently someone had knocked the floor indicator lights on the lift off. It was hanging there with bare wires. Doors are still being broken.

“People will be buying these flats so they won’t put up with that. I think the blocks will have to have a concierge.”

Alexandra Waite, 35, is the mother of four boys aged 11 to two years old and is looking forward to a brighter future for her family in Chiltern flats.

She said: “I am very optimistic about it all. It is for the best. We have a very nice community environment here. It’s like a family on Queensway. We’re hoping it will reduce antisocial behaviour more than anything.

“With a new build I think people will take more pride. The flats are not nice looking at the moment but I think it will be a much nicer place. I wouldn’t want them to build 1,800 homes because I think having that many homes would destroy the community feeling we have now.”