New ten screen cinema planned for Southend (From Southend Standard)
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New ten screen cinema planned for Southend
6:20pm Wednesday 16th January 2013 in News
A NEW multiplex cinema for Southend could kick start the regeneration of a seafront car park.
Southend Council’s ambitious plans to redevelop Seaway car park and create St John’s Quarter could finally be coming to the fore with talks between officers and a cinema operator.
A planning application could be coming soon for a ten screen cinema - a second cinema for the town.
John Lamb, deputy council leader with responsibility for regeneration, said: ”We are set to have an application coming through to build a multiplex cinema on part of Seaway car park.
"It’s early stages but it’s looking very promising and we want to see it take off.
“It would be a large multiplex cinema of ten screens. We’ve not had an application yet but this could regenerate the whole area and provide more jobs.”
The plans were discussed during the closed session of the cabinet meeting held last week when senior councillors were updated about the 8.5 acres car park off Lucy Road.
They agreed to proceed with the developer - now understood to be a cinema operator - as a 'special purchaser'
It was also agreed that the leisure part could be delivered ahead of any residential uses.
The proposal to create St John’s Quarter was first developed with the now defunct Renaissance Southend in 2005.
It was designed with a new shopping centre, town square and boulevard leading from Tylers Avenue car park to Marine Parade with bar and restaurants.
It was controversial as it emerged people living in Herbert Grove may be bought out as it was central to the plan.
The council already owns the Rossi ice cream factory, on the corner of Lucy Road, and the house next door as well as Seaway car park.
The council is keen to improve on its annual revenue stream of £277,000 from the car park and to share in long-term income from the development.
Mr Lamb said of the latest cinema plans: “It will open up the whole area down to the seafront and be good for the town.
“We’d get to keep some of the car park and would have to look where we can reallocate the coach parking but that’s just detail.
“If we needed to and only if it was necessary we would have compulsory purchase orders so we can use those powers.
“I’d like to see it move forward as quickly as possible this year.”
Simon Patterson, chair of Southend Seafront Illuminations and Business Association, said his concern was still about parking as there was not enough at present.
He said: “It’s a good idea but we can’t afford to lose any parking. I’d like to see what the plans show as we don’t have enough parking now.
“The plot of land owned by the Inner London Group behind the Foresters is used as a car park temporarily if that is redeveloped. There would be no point in developing Seaway if there’s no increase in parking as people won’t be able to use the leisure and retail units if they can’t park.”
Dawn Jeakings, manager of Royals shopping centre, said: "I think it's a really good idea as it will help attract other restaurants and businesses and in turn bring more people to us."
Comments(39)
mys842
says...
6:59pm Wed 16 Jan 13
Alice in Her Own Land :P
says...
7:13pm Wed 16 Jan 13
supershrimper
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7:34pm Wed 16 Jan 13
reptile
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7:55pm Wed 16 Jan 13
jolllyboy
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8:00pm Wed 16 Jan 13
make up your mind which end of the high street is to be the main part.How about more interesting things like a skating rink and family orientated things.
So for this they close Care centres, build libraries and museums and noone comes to southend anymore because 1 in 5 shops are closed down.
Dream on Southend council - you have to make up your mind what you want in the town business or tourists or passers through to the airport you cannot have them all.
Sir Peter Pantsless the 3rd
says...
8:42pm Wed 16 Jan 13
Or maybe they could divert their attention to trying to revitalise the High St???
Oh silly me this is Southend Council we're talking about here isnt it!
They really havent got a clue have they?
Carnabackable
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9:06pm Wed 16 Jan 13
allan348
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9:23pm Wed 16 Jan 13
Alfiee wrote:..... and with the Peir closures they won't need such a large carpark, of course a 10 screen Cinema wouldn't need much parking either!
But they want to cancel Air Show I do not get it :(
Shoebury_Cyclist
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8:22am Thu 17 Jan 13
Saxonpride
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8:42am Thu 17 Jan 13
jolllyboy wrote:Regeneration of the area will help make it safer. And if this is a success, then someday perhaps all the sleazy clubs along Lucy Road can be done away with and replaced with businesses that attract a more law-abiding clientele.
Unfortunately it is no longer safe to visit southend of an evening.
make up your mind which end of the high street is to be the main part.How about more interesting things like a skating rink and family orientated things.
So for this they close Care centres, build libraries and museums and noone comes to southend anymore because 1 in 5 shops are closed down.
Dream on Southend council - you have to make up your mind what you want in the town business or tourists or passers through to the airport you cannot have them all.
jayman
says...
9:22am Thu 17 Jan 13
their is a school of unelected darlings that rotate in circles around our local council elected officials that believe that 'development' of any kind however inappropriate and however influenced, is somehow a 'good thing'
they also insist that local opinion (however strong) is misguided and wrong.
the question you must ask ourselves is
'where did this idea come from'
'who proposed it"
and
'who financially benefits (directly or indirectly) from the compulsory purchase of land and the selling of council owned land to a developer for an idea that no local resident, group or organisation petitioned the council for in its proposed form.'
this is how it should work.
a local group petitions the council for a specific concept. proposal or development which is for the betterment of the wide community. A signatory list of local residents is delivered to the council showing overwhelming support for the proposal. the council then enact the proposal.
not
A family member, wife or business associate of an elected local cabinet or influential Tory councillor has a cracking idea or represents an idea or uses personal influence to enact a scheme or development that in no way reflects the expressed needs or wishes of the majority of the local community whom they should represent.
Its a funny old world.
JessyJar
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9:44am Thu 17 Jan 13
benny J.E
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10:08am Thu 17 Jan 13
badgerhedgehog
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10:57am Thu 17 Jan 13
lottie31
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10:59am Thu 17 Jan 13
Saxonpride
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11:03am Thu 17 Jan 13
benny J.E wrote:No. We need something to draw in tourists all year round.
southend doesnt need another cinema......we need erm, an airshow?!?!?!
Broadwaywatch
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11:20am Thu 17 Jan 13
Broadwaywatch
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11:55am Thu 17 Jan 13
and transfer and open as ten screens.
If another company opened in the town offering ten screens I cant see how the exsisting Odeon would be able to compete. In the old days it was one screen per cinema.
Red Hand Gang
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2:34pm Thu 17 Jan 13
Maybe we will get some decent films now though other than the rubbish hollywood blockbusters.
Carnabackable
says...
3:58pm Thu 17 Jan 13
badgerhedgehog wrote:I remember the Ritz cinema, now the Royals shopping farce,,, The ....
Can anyone remember that we used to have 2 cinemas in Southend before? Didnt they both end up closed down??
Rob777
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4:39pm Thu 17 Jan 13
Alfiee wrote:Beat me to it.
But they want to cancel Air Show I do not get it :(
maxell
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4:45pm Thu 17 Jan 13
Tone-Fu
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5:18pm Thu 17 Jan 13
Winner, Southend Council.
Nebs
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10:05pm Thu 17 Jan 13
Essex Medja
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9:18am Fri 18 Jan 13
maxell wrote:I sugest you put yourself forward at the next elections to oust these "sexual deviants" as you call them.
the councilors are sexual deviants as the only way thay can get off is to include the word "jobs" the airport boasted 7000 + jobs so far only about 750 stansted air crew are renting properties in the area as if it going out of fashion and a property vender has relocated from stanstead as there is so much call for relocation of staff to southend its all BS, out of touch councilors forcing their narrow minded ideals on the people of southend, wise up listern to the people that are forced to pay your wages that they all fail to earn,
bnichols
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9:40am Fri 18 Jan 13
benny J.E
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9:54am Fri 18 Jan 13
Saxonpride wrote:what like the cinema we already have?
benny J.E wrote: southend doesnt need another cinema......we need erm, an airshow?!?!?!No. We need something to draw in tourists all year round.
r6keith
says...
11:57am Fri 18 Jan 13
badgerhedgehog wrote:More than two if you are old enough to remember. Plus two in Westcliff and two in Leigh. There are more X cinemas scattered about the town that shut before I can remember.
Can anyone remember that we used to have 2 cinemas in Southend before? Didnt they both end up closed down??
DannyK86
says...
12:37pm Fri 18 Jan 13
I'm not sure a cinema is the best or most viable option for the site. HOWEVER, it is not 'the council' who will be paying for and building it, it's a private developer. So talking about council cutbacks of services and airshow to 'pay for this' is irrelevant - if anything the council would probably make money from sale or lease of the site.
When will people learn that 'The Council' doesn't own all the land, and it doesn't build every single thing in the town?! That is up to private business investment!
jayman
says...
12:53pm Fri 18 Jan 13
DannyK86 wrote:Hold on a tick.
Lots of daft comments on here.
I'm not sure a cinema is the best or most viable option for the site. HOWEVER, it is not 'the council' who will be paying for and building it, it's a private developer. So talking about council cutbacks of services and airshow to 'pay for this' is irrelevant - if anything the council would probably make money from sale or lease of the site.
When will people learn that 'The Council' doesn't own all the land, and it doesn't build every single thing in the town?! That is up to private business investment!
it says in the article above.
"The council already owns the Rossi ice cream factory, on the corner of Lucy Road, and the house next door as well as Seaway car park"
you said
"The Council' doesn't own all the land, and it doesn't build every single thing in the town?! That is up to private business investment!"
in this instance the council do own the land and have stated that they will pursue compulsory purchase orders for additional land.
What happened to a 'consultation process' seems to me that the council are hell bent on discharging the ownership of public land regardless.
The council should start studying the 'impact' a development will have and the 'longevity' of the proposed development prior to 'rubber stamping' it in a statement.
DannyK86
says...
1:00pm Fri 18 Jan 13
jayman wrote:I was referring to all the land in town in general in my comment - I realised the Council ownes a lot of the sites round here, as I mentioned it would probably stand to make some money out of this development.
DannyK86 wrote: Lots of daft comments on here. I'm not sure a cinema is the best or most viable option for the site. HOWEVER, it is not 'the council' who will be paying for and building it, it's a private developer. So talking about council cutbacks of services and airshow to 'pay for this' is irrelevant - if anything the council would probably make money from sale or lease of the site. When will people learn that 'The Council' doesn't own all the land, and it doesn't build every single thing in the town?! That is up to private business investment!Hold on a tick. it says in the article above. "The council already owns the Rossi ice cream factory, on the corner of Lucy Road, and the house next door as well as Seaway car park" you said "The Council' doesn't own all the land, and it doesn't build every single thing in the town?! That is up to private business investment!" in this instance the council do own the land and have stated that they will pursue compulsory purchase orders for additional land. What happened to a 'consultation process' seems to me that the council are hell bent on discharging the ownership of public land regardless. The council should start studying the 'impact' a development will have and the 'longevity' of the proposed development prior to 'rubber stamping' it in a statement.
I was more referring to a lot of people's blind assumption that the council builds absolutely everything in the town, as with this storyt, where a lot of people are saying it's a waste of money that could go on much needed services or the Airshow. If anything, the sale or lease of the council owned sites could generate income to keep those services!
jayman
says...
2:33pm Fri 18 Jan 13
DannyK86 wrote:Agreed.
jayman wrote:I was referring to all the land in town in general in my comment - I realised the Council ownes a lot of the sites round here, as I mentioned it would probably stand to make some money out of this development.
DannyK86 wrote: Lots of daft comments on here. I'm not sure a cinema is the best or most viable option for the site. HOWEVER, it is not 'the council' who will be paying for and building it, it's a private developer. So talking about council cutbacks of services and airshow to 'pay for this' is irrelevant - if anything the council would probably make money from sale or lease of the site. When will people learn that 'The Council' doesn't own all the land, and it doesn't build every single thing in the town?! That is up to private business investment!Hold on a tick. it says in the article above. "The council already owns the Rossi ice cream factory, on the corner of Lucy Road, and the house next door as well as Seaway car park" you said "The Council' doesn't own all the land, and it doesn't build every single thing in the town?! That is up to private business investment!" in this instance the council do own the land and have stated that they will pursue compulsory purchase orders for additional land. What happened to a 'consultation process' seems to me that the council are hell bent on discharging the ownership of public land regardless. The council should start studying the 'impact' a development will have and the 'longevity' of the proposed development prior to 'rubber stamping' it in a statement.
I was more referring to a lot of people's blind assumption that the council builds absolutely everything in the town, as with this storyt, where a lot of people are saying it's a waste of money that could go on much needed services or the Airshow. If anything, the sale or lease of the council owned sites could generate income to keep those services!
However, knowing the council as I do the money generated by land sales will probably end up in the councils much loved 'capital budget' and will not be used for services and the community.
this needs to be put out for consultation and not left to Tory council 'closed door' meetings.
jayman
says...
4:15pm Fri 18 Jan 13
http://apps.southend
.gov.uk/minutes/
"Members were keen to ensure that the leisure development would be delivered ahead of the occupancy of any residential accommodation provided."
Basically,this is thick toffee to chew over while the council build a ton of premium cost housing.
the cinema wont happen as the echo 'printed edition' article stated that they had phoned round all the major cinema companies. (cineworld, odeon ect) None of which had the faintest clue about the proposal. The Tory council are playing games here. stand by for executive apartments and not much else..
jayman
says...
4:23pm Fri 18 Jan 13
seaway car park and adjacent land
to the highest bidder
planning permission will be automatically approved!!!
please send cheques to SBC capital budget account.
Antonius
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6:11pm Fri 18 Jan 13
I'll believe it when I see it.
Nebs
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9:43pm Fri 18 Jan 13
martsouth
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10:28am Sat 19 Jan 13
BinDipper
says...
6:32pm Sat 19 Jan 13
This gives the council a mandate to what the hell it likes because the tories will always win the argument in chamber through sheer force of numbers.
If you don't like this council either don't vote for the tories (if you do already) or don't sit at home on election night whingeing about what Southend has become and doing nothing about it.
I'd just like to point out that I vote for an independent candidate but before I do I always make sure that what they propose in their own manifesto is for the good of the town and not of their back pocket.
Alfiee says...
6:56pm Wed 16 Jan 13