LEADING Southend councillors have welcomed the launch of the £575million Queensway redevelopment scheme and called for “spades in the ground” as soon as possible.

The cabinet met on Monday to rubber-stamp the long awaited launch of the Better Queensway project that will see the demolition of four dilapidated tower blocks and the construction of 1,700 new homes.

The scheme stalled as the council’s development partner Swan Housing was taken over by Sanctuary Housing who declined to proceed with the scheme.

The former Tory administration proposed redesigning the scheme leading some to fear a delay, meaning planning permission could be lost along with funding. However, the new Labour, Lib Dem and Independent cabinet has agreed to seek a partner to commence the first phase including the redesigned highway and the building of 218 new homes on the Essex Street car park site.

Speaking at the meeting, Anne Jones, Labour councillor responsible for planning and housing, said: “The Better Queensway project has been vitally important to the people of this city.

“Now a new Government has come in, hopefully that will stand us in good stead with the ability to retain the funding that has been put into this project from a variety of sources and the ability to seek other forms of funding in order to bring this forward.

“We absolutely need to get spades in the ground and deliver on behalf of the people of this city who are relying on this project.”

Laurie Burton, Labour councillor responsible for children and young people, welcomed the removal of the “hideous and unsafe” underpass.

He said: “The roads reconfiguration I think it will be a huge improvement. I think the underpass is really hideous. It separates one part of the city from another part of the city. It’s not good for pedestrians, it’s unsafe and it’s really terrible to cycle around.”

Martin Terry, Independent councillor responsible for community safety, said seafront traders who have been hit by flooding would benefit despite their opposition to the removal of the underpass.

He said: “This is going to provide an attenuation tank which will help to stop the serious flooding events on the seafront. This scheme will help stop sewage coming from combined sewers because when we have high levels of rain it will hold it back and release it in a more level way.

“We will have a four-lane carriageway as we have now. There will be a roundabout instead of an underpass. Currently the underpass is only 47 per cent utilised. The new roundabout will more than cope with the level of traffic that will pass through it.”