WORK on an “eyesore” and dilapidated home close to the A127 appears to have stalled for six months despite plans to transform the property.

The home, on Prince Avenue in Westcliff, has been at the centre of controversy since 2022 when Southend Council ordered the council to take action.

At the start of this year Southend Council approved plans for the home to be transformed into two semi-detached family homes.

However, very little work has taken place since aside from rubble being cleared from the driveway and hoardings being put in place surrounding the home.

The initial owners of the property sold it at auction just days before Christmas for £265,000 however it has now been revealed it was auctioned off again in April this year.

No report has taken place since at frustrations are growing.

Lydia Hyde, Labour councillor responsible for the St Laurence ward, said: “I am equally frustrated as residents as the building continues to be in a state.

“As a result, a few weeks ago I spoke with the planning department, and we are going to go to the new owners to get works underway.

“It is really frustrating as it puts us back a step in getting this eyesore finally dealt with and getting back into a family home.

“We want the new owners to continue with that and put it back into good family use.

“We don’t want to the plans changed into multiple flats, which starts the saga right off at the start. It is not a suitable location for that.

“So, we are now going to engage with new owners and get the works started as it is not fair.”

Photos of the home during the saga showed that windows had been boarded up, there were missing roof tiles, and gaping holes in the brickwork.

The garden was also full of rubble and other building materials.

Southend Council wrote to the original owners in November 2022, threatening legal action if repairs were not completed in six months.

In June 2023, repairs were still yet to happen, and the case was scheduled to be heard on December 13, 2023, as part of prosecution action by Southend Council’s legal team.

However, this was just days before the house hit the market ahead of an auction in 2023.