PICTURE the scene: Modern, purpose-built homes in the heart of Southend with a concierge service and CCTV.

You can see green open space peppered across the estate where residents can meet up safely.

The three new public spaces will include a new plaza by Southend Victoria station for people to relax in.

All Saints Church will also have a wide landscaped area in front of it with a new park and green spaces, including areas to be known as Porters Park and Coleman Gardens.

Looking at the Queensway estate now, it’s a world away. But it is likely to become reality.

The way the new £500m estate is designed means there will be better links with Victoria Avenue, through the town centre and into the High Street.

The scheme aims to enhance the connectivity between the High Street and neighbouring areas which have been separated for 60 years.

The scheme will see new walkways and cycle lanes as well as a range of open spaces and play areas.

Ron Woodley, deputy leader of the council, said: “The idea is to create resident-friendly open spaces.

“All Saints Church will no longer have a road in front of it.

“Instead there will be an open space for people to congregate and enjoy.”

The new layout is expected to allow for better surveillance of areas which have become prone to antisocial behaviour.

Flexible commercial, enterprise and cultural space has been woven into the scheme.

Some shops near the roundabout in Southchurch Road will be reassigned to housing.

The designers say: “The proposed retail provision in Southchurch Road has been reduced from the current amount.

“The reasoning for this is to reduce the amount of retail provision in accordance with the current and forecast market for physical retail.

“This reduction will help to ensure that there are fewer vacant units and that retail units are concentrated in the areas closer to the High Street, concentrating retail foot flow and making it more effective.”

They added emphasis will be on creating “affordable shops” within the scheme.

But space has been allocated for more creative uses such as artists’ studios, event areas and community kitchens.

There will also be some workshop and light industrial units in the area around the site currently occupied by The Range store in Queensway.

Ten-year scheme could begin in 2021

THE Queensway project first saw the light of day in 2014.

Public consultations on the complex scheme had been held over the years, culminating in the formulation of a business plan last year when Southend Council teamed up to form Porters Place, Southend-on-Sea.

A planning application is expected to be submitted to the council next month and if approved it is hoped work will start by 2021.

The regeneration project will be delivered in phases and will involve the demolition of four high-rise blocks on the Queensway estate - Malvern, Chiltern, Quantock, and Pennine.

Quantock is set to be the first to go.

Building work on the first set of homes, located on the temporary Essex Street Car Park, will start in 2021 and be completed by 2023.

Once complete, the residents of Quantock will have the option to move into the new properties, paying the same level of rent as they do now.

The existing tower will then be demolished. Quantock will then be demolished and new homes built there.

Construction will continue in this way until completion of the project, which is expected to take ten years.