The Southend development sites branded 'eyesores'

However, several sites across the city have been branded an "eyesore" by residents and councillors calling for action from developers and landowners and raising concerns over their impact.

Here are the most common sites that have been complained about:

Old Vienna, Eastwood Road

Stephen Aylen outside the former Old Vienna building (Image: Stephen Aylen)

This half-demolished Leigh restaurant has been branded a “pigeon-infested eyesore” due to a lack of progress in transforming the building into 13 sustainable flats.

It comes as the Eastwood Road venue shut down in 2016 after bosses were accused of flouting hygiene rules and the business was slapped with a zero food safety rating.

However, James Robinson, managing director of Forma London, the firm behind the project, told the Echo on November 1 that the project will "100 per cent” continue next year, and the building will be razed to the ground.

Meadow Grange, Fossetts Way

Half-built - Meadow Grange (Image: Newsquest)

A half-built and abandoned “mini-village” of flat-pack homes has been branded an “eyesore” after developer Guinness Homes and the now collapsed modular home manufacturer Ilke Homes promised to deliver 131 “exquisite” and affordable homes.

Work begun and large parts of the homes were built, but the project was thrown into disarray earlier this year when Ilke Homes went into administration on September 1.

The project was so close to completion, that the firms involved had already started taking reservations on homes built in the development.

The Echo has repeatedly asked Guinness for updates on the project, but the firm have not responded.

However, a message on their website says they “hope to resume work as soon as possible”.

Fisherman's Wharf, Western Esplanade

Empty - Fisherman's Wharf site (Image: Newsquest)

The much-loved Fisherman’s Wharf eatery, in Southend's Western Esplanade, got the go-ahead from the council to put up a “stunning” two-storey replacement venue in 2015, offering views of the beach and the Thames Estuary.

There was movement on the site in 2018 for clearing but five years later, it sits neglected and traders have said it is a “total bombsite”.

No announcement has been made on the future of the project or the restaurant, and anger is growing among residents and traders at the lack of movement.