Yellow Advertiser
June 6, 2001

Letters

Own goal tactics

I FEEL that I must write to record my disgust at the proposed road through Priory Park.

Our town planners are quoted as saying that the proposed road is 'the only answer to the town's spiralling traffic congestion'.

Alright, the scheme is not new, it might have been around for 30 years, but that is no excuse for ruining one of our best parks, a valuable asset to all residents of the town, just so a few folk can get home from work before their tea gets cold.

Another road scheme, which has also been around for a few years now, is the so-called northern bypass, running from the A130 around the back of Rochford to join the Eastern Avenue towards Shoebury.

Surely this other scheme is a better option, giving long-term relief for traffic travelling to and from the eastern end of our town rather than battling with town-centre jams as at present.

Why do I get a sneaking suspicion that this unpopular and unnecessary road-building scheme which has suddenly come to the fore might have something to do with the proposed football ground on Eastern Avenue?

With Southend United's level of support the present Roots Hall ground is quite adequate. Roots Hall on its present site lies at the junction of several major roads within the town, is adjacent to the railway station at Prittlewell and has a large car park plus limited on-street parking around the area.

The proposed stadium on Eastern Avenue, however, is cut off from the major road network and is accessible by just two bridges over the railway within the Borough - East Street and Eastern Avenue/Priory Crescent. Surprise, then, that the Priory Crescent bottleneck is suddenly so critical?

This football field itself, if built, would benefit from an adoption of the northern bypass plan, since supporters could access the new road directly from Eastern Avenue, avoiding the town centre roads completely.

No need to hack Priory Park to pieces, no bottlenecks at Cuckoo Corner, just easy traffic flow from Shoebury, Thorpe Bay and Southchurch around Rochford and out to the A130.

NAME SUPPLIED [to Yellow Advertiser]
Beedell Avenue, Westcliff

Thoroughly unfair

I WISH to support the Save the Park campaign and register my protest at the proposal to build a road through Priory Park.

Mr R A Jones gave Priory Park to the town for the inhabitants of the town to enjoy ... he did not give it to provide an extension to a thoroughfare!

DAVID BUCKLEY
Church Road, Shoeburyness

Unblock our roads - and stop building

I JUST love your headline - 'Bulldozers battle for Priory Park' it screams.

I can only assume that some very well intentioned people who obviously do not live this side of Victoria Avenue have never felt the frustration of trying to get anywhere across the town by public transport, car or even bicycle.

I have in my hand a copy of the results of the public consultation, "South East Essex Traffic Study" signed by C D Stevenson and dated 09/09/91 which cost a lot of money and got ... nowhere.

Since then hundreds of extra houses in Wakering and Shoeburyness have sprung up with more to come at Shoebury Garrison; nice new trains on c2c which still don't work and dozens of little "road improvements" have taken place to foil even the simplest journey:

Extra congestion lights in Victoria Avenue, Southchurch Road, Chalkwell Avenue etc. Bumps on the Golden Mile, Thames Drive etc.

Narrowing of Southchurch Road, London Road and Eastern Esplanade.

My suggestions: 1) Immediate stop to the creation of extra dwellings. 2) THe undoing of all the niggling road schemes. 3) The unblocking of all artificial cul-de-sacs both sides of the main roads from Drewsteignton to Glenwood Avenue.

And then if all that fails to cure congestion, dig up Priory Park.

JOHN PUDDICK
Aylesbeare, Shoeburyness

Halt this sad plan

HOW very sad the plan to build a dual carriageway across Priory Park. If this is done what will be left for future generations if all the beautiful green areas go?

I do hope this will be stopped.

AUDREY K GREEN
St James Avenue, Thorpe Bay

Memories of a park we love

I READ with horror your storyline 'Beat the Bulldozers'. This park was left to the people of Southend by R A Jones, jeweller, in 1917, not to the County Council to carve up at a whim.

I'm 57 now, but as a child my brother and I lived near the park, we played there almost every day. Now I take my grandchildren there, and enjoy that park very much.

Please stop this now!

CAROL, GEORGE and SEAN LONG
Craven Close, Rochford.

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