A council’s multi-million pound investment in road infrastructure and coastal public realm by has brought recognition from urban designers and industry specialists.

Southend-on-Sea Borough Council is celebrating success at this year’s Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) awards following the Better Southend Project being named the country’s best in the Public Realm category.

The collection of projects, united under the Better Southend banner, caught the eyes of the judges, who were impressed with the ambition, delivery and outcome of the investment set out by the council, which saw improvements to the City Beach; Cuckoo Corner; Progress Road; Victoria Gateway Improvements and the Traffic and Routing Plan.

The town had suffered for some time from serious traffic congestion, poor circulation for pedestrians and cyclists, and a low standard of public spaces, so the council wanted to improve the quality and access from the town to its seaside attractions.

The Better Southend project addressed these issues by developing a co-ordinated set of traffic management schemes and creating a series of civic spaces that brighten the public realm, make the town centre more welcoming for residents and visitors, and improve road access into and out of the town centre.

‘We won the award, over and above the others, because we delivered, on time and on budget, four separate projects in different parts of the town, covering many facets of everyday life,’ explains Tony Cox, Southend-on-Sea’s executive councillor for public protection, waste and transport.

As part of the funding requirements, every project had to be delivered by March 2011. Of the £25 million set aside, £10 million was awarded by the Community Infrastructure Fund - cash split equally between the Progress Project and Victoria Gateway Square. The Department of Transport allocated £5 million to Cuckoo Corner and the final £10 million came from the DCLG for investment in City Beach.

‘The biggest challenge from my point of view was to ensure that the town didn’t grind to a halt amid the construction,’ says Paul Mathieson, the council’s special projects manager for transportation. ‘We had to work closely with contractors, local business, planners and residents to ensure disruption was minimised.

‘The four projects coming together at the same time proved a real winner for us’, Mathieson adds, and was a major factor in the RTPI judges’ decision, he believes.

The works included widening the approaches to the Progress Road junction in the Southend bound direction (eastbound) to allow more traffic through the junction when the traffic lights are green, and less queueing on the approach. Adjustments were also made to Progress Road and The Fairway as part of this scheme.

Delivery of the Cuckoo Corner has improved traffic flow at the roundabout, Mathieson explains, ‘especially at peak times’. The works were completed slightly ahead of their end of March 2011 deadline and involved widening the approaches to the roundabout and the circulatory of the roundabout itself to boost capacity at what is a busy junction.

The third scheme, Victoria Gateway, tackled access to Southend’s Victoria Station, forming the first stage of the town’s vision for a series of high-quality linked public spaces.

The ‘front door’ of Southend needed a major overhaul to improve traffic flow and the town's appearance to visitors. The roundabout in front of the station is nearly 50 years old and had reached its traffic limit at peak times, Mathieson recalls. The new layout addresses these problems and heightens the experience for pedestrians, cyclists and public transport users, without having a significant negative impact on traffic.

City Beach was the first project to be undertaken as part of the £25 million investment package and aimed to encourage better use of the town's famous seafront.

‘The regeneration of the seafront was a crucial concern,’ stresses Mathieson, ‘as was linking that area with the town centre and improving access in and out of the town. It had long been in need of regeneration, and it was decided early on to remove the dual carriageway and make the coast more accessible.’

Advanced digital feature lighting columns now form the centrepiece of the design, helping to make the seafront a day and night destination. Residents and visitors can also enjoy the new landscaped area, complete with a refreshing fountain and improved access to the beach, as well as new footpaths and cycle facilities.

The town has a healthy six million visitors a year and is a popular haunt for days out by Londoners as Southend is the closest seaside town to the capital.

‘It’s a healthy, sustainable figure and we hope the future is a bright one as we have plenty going on in and around the town that we hope will attract even more visitors,’ says Cox. ‘It’s vital that seaside towns prosper but it’s no easy task pursuing investment that brings results.’ Southend was also awarded the accolade of Council of the Year last month at a prestigious industry awards ceremony, granted in part for its achievement in delivering a successful Better Southend project but also for showing that financially sound investment by local authorities is still achievable amid challenging economic times.

‘I like to see us as a beacon,’ adds Cox, ‘as an example of a successful and prosperous coastal resort, and one that other seaside towns can emulate. We’ve proven that good investment works and that by improving the infrastructure and access routes into the town we’re already showing significant, and hopefully lasting, effects.’

The future of Southend certainly looks rosier and the investment in the town has run in tandem with projects in other areas close-by. The construction of the £11.5 million swimming and diving centre, which has been chosen as an official training venue for London 2012, is proving to be hugely popular with locals, bucking the trend of falling swimming numbers in local authority pools. Plans are also afoot to relocate Southend United FC’s home to a purpose-built stadium in the already vibrant leisure hub at Garon Park.

‘Our success seems to have gone under the radar,’ remarks Mathieson. ‘We’re the best kept secret this side of I don’t know what. The airport has taken off, investment is flowing into the town and the new business park at the airport is progressing nicely, and will provide an extra 7,000 jobs for local people - things are really looking up.’