Residents living in the vicinity of the town centre and seafront should be treated with the same respect as those living in Thorpe Bay or Leigh. Tall buildings can cause problems of loss of light (both directly to residential properties and by cutting down the amount of light to the street itself) overlooking, and can restrict views. They inevitably put extra pressure on local services.

Therefore we should bring forward guidance that specifies that tall buildings in close proximity to established residential areas will not generally be acceptable, whether in the town centre or elsewhere. Proposals for tall building would be expected to demonstrate exceptional benefits for existing residents of the borough.

High rise residential developments cause particular problems. There is not a desperate need in Southend for more flats. There is a need for larger accommodation for families. Tower blocks are inherently unsuitable places to bring up young children, and therefore cannot meet this need. Therefore we propose that tall buildings for residential use should not be encouraged for any location in the borough. A proposal for such a building would be expected to demonstrate both an overriding need for such a development, and that such a development would have negligible impact on existing residents.