Southend Queensway regeneration project could be delayed again

The Better Queensway project is designed to redevelop the area

A regeneration scheme could be delayed by nine months, days after council bosses said it was set to begin "within weeks".

Developers of the £575m Queensway estate regeneration in Southend, Essex, have asked for an extension, blaming the pandemic and the war in Ukraine.

The development is expected to include 1,760 new homes, as well as new shops and cafes.

The request will be discussed by Southend city councillors on Monday.

Porters Place LLP, a partnership between Southend council and Swan Housing, were given an extension in December, but in a new report it said the coronavirus pandemic and war in Europe had created a shortage in building materials.

The extension last year was on the proviso that if a new business case was not produced by March the project would halt, reports the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The partnership now wants until 31 December to prove the project is viable.

Regeneration of the Queensway estate could be delayed again

It comes as Swan's financial viability and governance was downgraded by the regulator of social housing. It is also about to be taken over by the Orbit Group.

Council leader Ian Gilbert, Labour, said the authority, which is run by Labour and independent councillors, was "whole-heartedly committed" to delivering the project. He said the economic circumstances were "challenging" for the construction industry.

Tony Cox, leader of the Conservative group at Southend council, said the new extension request "raises alarm bells over the financial viability of the scheme".

A spokeswoman for Swan Housing confirmed work on Queensway was "expected to start in late 2022".

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