MILTON SOCIETY is a  local community group working to both conserve the local, historic urban landscape and promote economic success in the historic Milton area of Westcliff-on-Sea. In particularly this includes local Victorian and Edwardian streets, and Hamlet Court Road, a much loved but challenged local high street that has some remarkable architecture and history. The local community can step forwards to help this to happen with heritage led regeneration but we are equally interested in 'regeneration led heritage' and how these two attributes can mutually benefit each other.

The historic Milton area, from Park Road to Ditton Court Road, has many fine residential roads with beautiful and characteristic properties. The area deserves to be protected and supported.

Milton Conservation Area dates from 1987 when local residents came together to lobby against a large development proposal and protect the area thereafter. Since that time Milton Society has been the most active conservation group locally, helping to inform local conservation thinking, policy and project areas.

In 2015, as the earlier named Milton Conservation Society, a new group called Hamlet Court Conservation Forum (HCCF) were formed with local residents and in September 2021, after 5 years hard work by HCCF, the top, commercial part of Hamlet Court Road (from London Road to St Helen's Road) was designated a CONSERVATION AREA by Southend-on-Sea Borough Council. This was historic in our town as the equivalent Edwardian part of Leigh Broadway (the only other designated commercial road in Southend) became a conservation area no less than 40 years earlier. Now there is a legal framework for protection but also for potential grant funding. Restoration will not come easy and may take many years but where there was no collective way forwards before, the community and the Council now has a chance to improve this important part of our town.

Cliff Gardens