Better Queensway from Swan Housing will deliver at least 512 genuinely affordable homes via a mix of 300 social rented homes and 212 intermediate homes (shared equity and shared ownership).

Helping to meet the needs of affordable housing in Southend-on-Sea, Better Queensway from Swan Housing will deliver at least 512 genuinely affordable homes via a mix of 300 social rented homes and 212 intermediate homes (shared equity and shared ownership).
The plans will provide a greener and more sustainable Queensway. Not only will every home have its own private outdoor space whether it be a balcony, terrace or garden; there will also be new green spaces including an urban park, 190 new trees and 1,400 metres of new cycle paths along Queensway and Southchurch Road. Electric car charging points, greener energy generation and sustainable construction methods will also improve the overall environmental performance of the development.
Set to bring over £500 million investment into the existing Queensway estate, the re-development will be a catalyst for further improvements to Southend-on-Sea town centre and has been given outline consent for its masterplan, jointly designed by award winning architects dRMM and LDA Design, as well as detailed consent for highway changes by Civic Engineers.
Queensway in Southend, which passes through Victoria Station plaza - a significant arrival point for rail passengers - is currently an urban motorway, designed to accommodate fast vehicle movements. It separates the town centre from the train station and the residential areas to the north east. Pedestrian and cycle permeability across Queensway is poor and the amenity value of this space is non-existent.
The design team’s proposals are to turn Queensway into a tree-lined boulevard, creating space for walking, cycling, parkland and residential development - ‘dwell, play and stay’. Civic Engineers' design started by considering a better balance of movement choices across and along the street, as well as the environmental quality associated with non-vehicular uses. By creating new pedestrian and cycle routes and treating Queensway as a street rather than a barrier, the potential for active travel between the town centre and the residential areas to the north and east was considerably increased.
Repurposing the Queensway underpass as a water storage and attenuation facility will significantly improve the flood risk and the bathing water quality to the seafront area and help to bring the system in line with regulatory standards.