Bravo for the plans to make Southend a “Staycation Paradise”.

There are, however, some glaring omissions which need fixing if they are to appeal to the widest possible range of “staycationers”.

They need to learn from countless other successful seaside resorts, particularly those in the south west, and allocate some stretches of our 8km of beaches as all-year dog friendly beaches.

National statistics show that one in four households have a dog, so by doing this they could increase the potential market by 25 per cent.

Not the key visitor to beaches of course, but there is scope to open up some less used stretches to dog owners all year round.

And please don’t use the usual (erroneous) counter argument that this would place the prestigious Blue Flag awards at risk. It wouldn’t.

Study the Keep Britain Tidy website - managers for Blue Flag awards - and you will see that provided a dog friendly beach is segregated, it can be adjacent to a Blue Flag beach.

Another area where Southend is sadly lacking as a holiday resort is the absence of a touring camping and caravan site. This pastime is more popular than ever as a result of the pandemic and brings a great many holidaymakers to resorts which provide suitable facilities.

There are doubtless many other aspects of our town which could be improved to make it more attractive to “staycationers”.

The council would do well to do some meaningful research into the subject and take into consideration any constructive ideas which our residents can put forward.

IAN ROBINSON

Kensington Road, Southend

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