A FLYTIPPING hotspot that has become a magnet for anti-social behaviour and an eyesore will be transformed into a new four-storey block of flats.

Plans have been approved by Southend Council to build a 22 flats on the site of a former warehouse on Sutton Road, Southend, next to the Mecca Bingo at the Greyhound Retail Park.

The development consists of nine one-bedroom flats, eight two-bedroom homes, and five three-bedroom properties on the corner of Maldon Road and Sutton Road.

The site has been empty for at least eight years and has been surrounded by hoardings for “security purposes” after a series of fly-tipping incidents.

The application, by developer Irving Brown, also states there has been issues around anti-social behaviour and “drug and alcohol abuse appears to be prevalent on the site”.

The plans, initially submitted in May last year, were approved on Thursday according to documents on Southend Council’s planning portal.

Planning documents state: “At present the site is derelict and experiences regular fly tipping as well as evidence of drug and alcohol abuse taking place on the site.

“The development will provide an opportunity to significantly enhance an area of Sutton Road that has for a number of years acted as an eyesore on the existing street scene.

“The construction of 22 new flats would invariably assist the local economy in terms of labour opportunities and demand for supplies and materials in the actual construction of the properties.

“The site has not been in commercial use for a number of years and is currently in a derelict state with very little of the original commercial structure remaining.”

A previous planning application proposing flats on the site had been rejected by Southend Council, however no objections were raised as the plan for 22 flats was approved.

Ahead of deciding on the plans, 34 neighbouring properties were consulted with but no objections were submitted to the council.

As part of the plan, the developer will pay more than £31,000 towards secondary education at Cecil Jones Academy, in Eastern Avenue.