THE ambitious £575 million Queensway regeneration scheme has officially started with work on a new “bus gate” after councillors gave it the go-ahead at the 11th hour.

The first phase of the project, which will see 1,700 new homes built in the heart of the city, involves a new road layout. This will remove the Queensway underpass and bring it to street level.

It is likely to include a 20mph speed limit, speed humps, traffic lights and a roundabout to end access to the Southchurch Road towards the east of the city.

While the scheme was approved in September 2021, plans still needed to be given the final go-ahead and under the original terms, work must have been started by Friday or permission would lapse.

At a special Southend Council development control committee, details of work on a new access for buses – the first phase of the scheme - was approved.

Paul Collins, Lib Dem councillor responsible for finance, said: “We have a number of pressures on our bus services. We know they are struggling meet timetables giving problems to the passengers that use them. This scheme will stop the busses coming in from London Road from our west side of the city having to negotiate across two and a half lanes to get down to Chichester Road. It will have a very good effect. The is exactly what will help improve bus services in Southend.”

The “bus gate” will be created from Queensway into the area outside of Southend Victoria rail station, which is already restricted to buses, taxis and pedal cycles only.

Carole Mulroney, Lib Dem councillor for Leigh, said: “Planning permission is given for three years and that means up to the date it finishes so to me it’s immaterial when the planning application comes in, if it’s within the time scale its within the timescale and if it’s a good proposal it should be approved so I’m wholeheartedly supporting it.”

Kevin Buck, Tory councillor for Prittlewell, said: “While I’ve no issue with the principle of the bus gate itself, the issue I have, given the timing what this does is discharge of this condition, which was due to expire in a few days, on the whole of the highways scheme through Queensway. For that reason I can’t support it as the scheme in it’s own words introduces more traffic congestion into Queensway.”