‘Dying’ English seaside town where half of shops are empty & ‘crumbling away’ is being transformed in huge £20m revamp
BRITS living in a “crumbling” coastal town with a “dying” town centre could soon benefit from a £20 million revamp.
The Essex seaside town has been dubbed the “worst place to live in the UK” and is one of the most deprived areas nationwide.
Clacton-on-Sea is set to be transformed as part of a government regeneration project.
The funding is likely to be injected into the disused town centre which sits in one of the most deprived neighbourhoods in England, according to data by the Ministry of Housing.
Residents have been impacted by the decline, describing the “horrible atmosphere” of the town centre.
One local even told the Sun how they went out of their way to “spend as little time as possible in the town”.
The £19.7 million cash injection from the Ministry of House, Communities and Local Government has left councillors delighted.
The cash is set to be used as part of a series of projects in Clacton and nearby Jaywick Sands.
These include a £3 million investment to develop the leisure centre.
Whilst the first set of projects includes a seafront art and community micro venue and improved shopfronts, the second wave is set to be brought forward later this year.
The Local Planning consultation will end in two weeks on April 14 with more information likely becoming available soon after.
Tendring District Council has already entered into a new Community Regeneration Partnership as part of the revamp.
The 15 approved projects have been described as a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” by council leaders.
It is thought £2 million could also be spent towards a new urgent treatment centre and primary care facility at Clacton Hospital.
Essex County Council has also proposed £2.5 million for expanding the Tudor Fields to Jaywick Sands route.
This could in turn act as an evacuation route for re-purposing the disused town centre building for community and cultural use.
“Once-in-a-generation opportunity”
Speaking at the meeting earlier this year, Councillor Ivan Henderson, Deputy Leader of TDC and Cabinet Member for Economic Growth, Regeneration and Tourism, said: “This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to deliver transformative interventions across our district.
“These projects will significantly improve the quality of life, access to opportunities and health and wellbeing of our residents.
“The projects chosen by government ministers for investment have been developed through community engagement and include initiatives like improvements to Clacton town centre and the seafront public realm, improvements to open spaces in Jaywick Sands, repurposing disused buildings on the seafront to create an arts community micro venue and refurbishing and repurposing Martello Tower E.”
With tourists regularly flocking in their thousands to Clacton for their summer holidays the regeneration could offer benefits to locals and staycationers alike.
One of the “worst” seaside towns in the UK
After iLiveHere’s survey concluded that Clacton was the “worst place to live” residents have voiced their frustrations over the declining number of facilities and amenities.
Local carer Paul Robinson described the town as “crumbling away”.
The 66-year-old told Clacton and Frinton Gazette: “The business rates are so high, the Council keeps putting rents up, and shops can’t afford it. We don’t have clothes shops; we don’t have kids’ shops.
“I’ve been living here for thirty years, and before, everyone used to come down here. Now they don’t. I can’t even buy anything for my grandkids. It’s just all charity shops.”
The injection of cash could not come soon enough for some residents who previously told the Sun about the decline of their once beautiful seafront.
In 2023, Clacton-on-Sea was named one of the worst towns in the country for anti-social behaviour.
Residents told Sun Online how they were used to seeing alcoholics and drug-users in their town centre.
High street shops were closing down, leaving ugly empty units, and street cleaners were rarely seen, they added.
The former Marks & Spencers shopfront, which closed in 2018, remained empty.
Kebab shop worker Alex Evans, 37, wouldn’t walk home alone when her shift finished at 9pm as she didn’t feel safe back in 2023.
Another resident who witnessed the growing unpleasant atmosphere in the town centre was taxi driver Spike Spencer.
“There’s a really nasty atmosphere in the town centre now,” he said.
“Lots of shouting, swearing and kids chasing women. We don’t get a lot of stabbings and stuff but it’s just not nice to be in a place you feel frightened.”
“IT’S AWFUL”
Denise Bustin, 66, had lived in nearby Holland-on-Sea with her husband Allan, 74, for 28 years when the Sun visited in 2023.
The couple fumed over the decline they had seen over the last three decades, with anti-social behaviour so bad they refused to go into town at night.
Denise said: “It is the worst seaside town in the country. I agree with that. It’s awful.
“You’ve got drug addicts, the alcoholics all sitting out in the centre of town. People won’t sit there. They used to have a lovely fountain but they shut that down because it cost too much to run.”
Allan said the area “had gone downhill something awful”.
He added: “All the shops have closed. All around us there are empty units. We used to have a Woolworths and a Marks & Spencers.
“Clacton used to be really lovely. We’d walk the two miles home from town after seeing a show at night and you wouldn’t fear it. We could never do that now – it’s too dangerous.”
Previous research from Which? saw Claton-on-Sea named among the worst seaside destinations in the UK – tied for last place with Skegness in Lincolnshire.
The study by the consumer group asked people to rate 118 locations based on their beaches, seafront, accommodation, peace and quiet, scenery and value for money.