AN HISTORIC but now vacant former telephone exchange is set to be converted into studio and one-bedroom flats.

A bid has been submitted to Southend Council to convert the old Southend Marine Telephone Exchange in Southchurch Road into 15 flats.

Planning documents reveal the site’s freehold was purchased by Timeplan Investments for £1,350,000 in July 2022, and has lain empty ever since.

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Prior to the sale, the building had been used for commercial offices.

Developer Timeplan Estates is now bidding to convert the vacant building into 15 self-contained flats with a mix of five studio flats and ten one-bedroom flats.

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Despite the historic nature of the building, the property is not a listed building nor are there any listed buildings in the immediate surrounding area.

Residents First Kursaal councillor Tricia Cowdrey said: “I have been very worried about the number of houses in multiple occupancy in Kursaal ward specifically, so on the one hand a development like this create single occupancy homes that are clearly needed in some form.

“It’s not necessarily bad if done in the correct way, with high quality housing and enough space for people to live.

“However, I do have concerns over the densification of the area with potentially too many people and from first glance it did ring alarm bells that it would create such an influx.”

Plans for the site reveal proposals for 14 car parking spaces and 16 cycle storage spaces.

“This proposal provides on-site car parking, despite the unlikely reliance on motor car use due to the city centre location of the site, and very good connections to public transport modes,” planning documents state.

“The site is easily accessible via multiple modes of public transport. The closest train station to the site is Southend East Train Station (650m) which serves the C2C train line to Shoeburyness and London Fenchurch Street.

“Southend Central and Southend Victoria Overground train stations are within 700 metre radius from the site.

“All local shops and services are within easy walking distance of the subject site.”