We do not have the physical space nor the infrastructure to take too much more!!
As a Director of a family business, I am in favour of as many chimney pots as you can get, but as a resident, it’s not working.
Our infrastructure is overwhelmed and overused and our green spaces are being stolen in front of our eyes. According to the ONS, the population has increased by 4.1%, from around 173,700 in 2011 to 180,700 in 2021 – but anyone who lives here will feel this without any stats. Worryingly, national housing targets may soon be reinstated by a Labour government, as has been reported in the Guardian, and that could see the restoration of the previous 20,000 homes target set for Southend.
No Regard for Residents
These decisions are being made by people unlikely to have ever been here, and are being taken without genuine regard for the living standards of residents or the environment. This is not a slight to anyone who has moved to Southend in recent years – whether British or foreign. But it is to say that Southend, specifically, can no longer cope.
I do not want us to become a city of concrete and high-rise flats, and yet we are in a position where Southend residents, many of whom have lived here all their lives, struggle to afford to rent, much less buy a suitable property. And that doesn’t even begin to address issues surrounding homelessness. When new housing goes up, it is not alleviating those 1500 people on the housing waiting list, nor those who want to move out of the family home. Instead, these developments are being approved often without ample provision for parking or affordable housing, and with very little consideration of the necessary improvements in public services and infrastructure – only serving to increase the population further. This is not a slight on developers. I am sure, if informed, they would happily build elsewhere.
Addressing Misconceptions
The discussion of population increases could easily be construed as politically populist. However, I believe this argument must not be sullied by any anti-immigration or anti-multiculturalism sentiment. Yes, there are plenty of contentious issues that need to be resolved in these areas, but this serves only to distract from the simple premise that ultimately Southend is a city full.
By James Miller
Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Southend West and Leigh Southend Confelicity Party Leader southendconfelicityparty.co.uk