Almshouse cottages could become conservation area

The almshouses in Chelmsford Avenue in Southend could become a designated conservation area

Cottages built as almshouses in 1904 could be protected from certain development and changes under a proposal to turn them into a conservation area.

The tiny homes are in the Prittlewell area of Southend-on-Sea, and were once used to house poorer residents over the age of 65.

The proposal will be discussed at a meeting of Southend City Council on Monday.

If approved, planning permission would be needed for certain changes to be made to the buildings.

The homes are still used as almshouses

These include the installation of hardstanding for vehicles, alterations to walls, gates and fences, alteration of windows or doors and the painting or rendering of brickwork.

A report to the council's cabinet, which will be discussed next week, said: "The city’s conservation areas have special value for the community.

"They are visible links with our past and offer attractive contrasts to modern environments, so it is important to ensure the special character of these areas is protected and sympathetic enhancements encouraged."

Derek Jarvis, the Conservative councillor responsible for arts, culture, heritage and leisure, said: "It’s been looked at for quite a while.

"We take a responsibility for them [the almshouses] and it’s not as though we haven’t cared for them, but I was delighted with the proposal."

The almshouses are made up of eight single-storey cottages arranged around a courtyard garden which contains the plinth of a sundial erected to commemorate the benefaction of the almshouses by Thomas Dowsett, the first Mayor of Southend-on-Sea, in 1904.

The buildings are still in use as almshouses today, associated with the Dowsett Trust.