Plans refused to redevelop iconic Westcliff pub into flats

The Cliff, in Hamlet Road, has been a staple of the city and serving those in the LGBTQ+ community for more than 50 years.

However, a planning application was submitted by the owners of the building to transform it into four flats.

Two neighbouring properties objected to the plans raising issues around the “loss of a historically important public house”.

And councillor officers have ruled the plans would be inappropriate and would provide “inadequate” living conditions for residents.

Matt Dent, councillor for Kursaal ward, said: “I think that is the absolute right decision.

“The Cliff has a very important place in the history and culture of Southend.

“And to be honest, I am quite pleased that the application has been rejected.

“We want it to stay as a pub and the home of the LGBTQ+ community in Southend as it has been serving for a very long time.”

The Cliff was built in 1888 and has been running as a pub for decades.

Within the planning application, the applicant states that the Cliff is “no longer a viable business” as they struggle to cope with increasing costs.

In a report on the development, council officers concluded: “It is found that the proposed development would provide inadequate living conditions for its future occupants.

“The design of the two-storey ‘Mews House’ would fail to integrate acceptably with the host building and would result in a poor-quality environment for future occupiers especially for the ground floor rooms.

“The changes to the front street-facing elevations would be harmful to the character and appearance of the locally listed building, a non-designated heritage asset.”

Under the proposals, the ground floor would have changed from a pub into two flats, one with one bedroom, and the other with two.

A single-storey extension which currently houses toilets would have then been demolished to make way for a two-storey mews house.