Author: Andy

Milton Society have teamed up with Chalkwell Ward Residents and The Conservation Association of Westcliff Seaboard (CAWS) to publish details of a campaign to extend the seafront conservation areas and protect our seaside heritage. Read all about this on our Project page here

Westliff is full of great houses that form an important part of our local heritage but they are not designated as such. The illustration shows a fine example in St Helen’s Road. The houses in our local roads and buildings in lower Hamlet Court Road are not designated within our conservation areas which are limited to a few specific areas in the city. Our ‘Undesignated Heritage’ study is a recognition of these houses and buildings in all of our local roads, where these date from pre-first world war or the early interwar period – in other words over 100 years old. These form a significant part of our heritage and make up the character of our neighbourhood.

The first draft of our study of these buildings can be found here

Our AGM this year is on the 17th October at 3.00pm at The Haven Community Hub in Hamlet Court Road. Please do try to get along if you can. This year we’ll be describing our important work on seafront heritage and how we can help to protect our city’s greatest heritage asset.

We’ll also be talking about our other work this year and have invited the local police along to update us on local policing.

As a member you can put forward a proposition and nominate an officer at the AGM, in accordance with the constitution.

We also give notice here that there will be a nominal update to the constitution correcting typographical errors. No changes of substance are proposed.

If you would like to get involved in our work please email chair@miltonsociety.com. No particular experience is necessary but you must have an enthusisam to help protect our historic environment.

The Beeline project hopes to bring nectar rich hanging baskets to Hamlet Court Road this summer, creating a Beeline super highway for bees, butterflies and other insects, supporting our local bio diversity and and the urban eco system. Not only will this support Wild Westcliff but it will bring beautiful hanging baskets to the road – in turn supporting our local high street.

But it can only happen if the public votes for it as one of the Council’s ‘Big Sparks’ projects initiative and you must vote NOW. Voting closes on the 28th January so please give your support by voting here https://yoursay.southend.gov.uk/bigsparks – scroll down to the bottom of the page to vote by registering at the blue bar. Beeline is project number 17.

Thank you. Together we can make this happen.

Once again we have made a written request to the Secretary of State to intervene to help save this important building at the heart of Hamlet Court Road. The building, seriously fire damaged in the spring of 2023, lost its roof and is open to the elements. Now the third winter is approaching and if the building is left open our concern is that irreparable damage will take place to the structure and the building could be lost.

This would be nothing less than catastrophic for Hamlet Court Road and local conservation.

The Secretary of State can make a direction that would enable the local authority to intervene, for example by erecting a tin hat (temporary roof) scaffold. This would provide a basic level of protection. Similarly any urgent bracing could be provided. The law provides for costs arising in this regard to be reclaimed from the building owner but it first requires the Secretary of State to grant that this can happen in a conservation area.

We await hearing from the government but will continue to do what we can to help protect this building.

October 2025