Southend-on-Sea City Council has carried out improvements to the entrance road at Priory Park ahead of this weekend’s Lazy Days Festival and other upcoming events.
The Council’s Highways and Parks teams have re-surfaced the main entrance into the park, which is a key access point for both festival deliveries and park visitors, ahead of this weekend’s activities and to minimise disruption as the summer season starts.
The works also improve the crossing area for pedestrians and cyclists heading towards the city centre, making a clear difference to safety and accessibility for all users.
Surface repairs were carried out between Friday 18 July, and Monday 21 July and the first 30 metres of the road were resurfaced on the evening of Tuesday 22 July.
Cllr Lydia Hyde, cabinet member for climate, environment and waste, said: ” Priory Park means so much to the local community, it’s a place where people come together to relax, play, and enjoy nature. Improving access at the entrance has been a priority of this administration so everyone can get in safely and easily, whether they’re coming for an event or just a stroll. We’re really pleased to see the improvements helping make the park even better for everyone.”
Cllr Daniel Cowan, leader of the council, added: “Building a city we can be proud of, means taking care of it, and that’s why we’re making sure spaces like Priory Park are safer and more accessible for everyone. Any works along Victoria Avenue are hard to schedule as it’s a key road that’s busy all year round, so I’m proud of how the different teams have worked together to minimise disruption and get this completed in a tight window ahead of this festival and the busy summer period.”
Further improvements to the road surface near the car park and footways within the park are being assessed. These will form part of a longer-term programme to improve paths, entrance roads and car park areas across the city’s green spaces.