The destruction of our once beautiful Southend and its transformation into a carbon copy of the countless concrete clone towns around the country is continuing apace.
The new Tesco development, if approved by Southend Council, could prove to be the final nail in the coffin of our traditional seaside town.
The former B&Q building, which currently occupies the site in Short Street, is large in its own right at 2,754 sq metres of floor space.
However, the proposed Tesco would, at 31,449 sq metres, be more than a staggering 11 times the size.
To put it into context, the structure is almost three times the size of the Tesco Extra in Pitsea.
Around the country, most notably in Bristol, people are beginning to wake up to the damage supermarket giants are wreaking upon our towns.
Let’s hope our council sees sense and refuses Tesco planning permission.
A better use for this prime land would a credible market of a decent size to replace York Road Market, lost due to council neglect just last year.
The size of the plot could even facilitate a market of different quarters, for example a farmer’s quarter, a European quarter, a general market quarter and an arts and crafts and antiques quarter.
Patsy Link, Sheena Walker, Mark Sharp
Skipp Committee
Beaumont Gardens
Southend
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