A consultation has today been launched into updated designs for new homes on a former eyesore site in Dovercourt.

Residents, businesses and visitors are now being asked to have their say over the proposals to regenerate two derelict sites with eight council homes in Victoria Street and overhaul the outdated Milton Road car park.

The projects are part of a wider £9million revamp of Dovercourt town centre after Tendring District Council (TDC) successfully secured £6.7million of Government funding. The rest of the money being provided by TDC and Essex County Council.

The overall scheme will also see road and public realm improvements from Dovercourt railway station to Kingsway and the refurbishment of the town’s library to include Adult Community Learning, led by Essex County Council.

Designs for the TDC-led parts of the scheme, including the sites in Milton Road and Victoria Street, have been updated following an initial consultation earlier this year.

Councillor Ivan Henderson, TDC Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Economic Growth, Regeneration and Tourism, said people are now being encouraged to have their say before a planning application is submitted later this year.

“The updated designs have been developed following valuable feedback to our initial consultation,” he said.

“After hearing from residents that they would like to see a building with more character, our consultants have used the former Victoria Hotel pub and the wider area as inspiration for the updated building design.

“Residents also told us that they would like to see the appearance of the Milton Road car park improved, which has seen updated designs for planting and smarter railings alongside bigger spaces.

“The overall project will see significant investment in the town with the Milton Road plans helping to boost town centre trade while the redevelopment of former eye-sore sites in Victoria Street will help to improve residents’ quality of life.”

Following the demolition and clearance of the two sites in Victoria Street, the aim is to provide eight new homes on one of the sites and some resident parking on the other, echoing the original design for the street. The home on the site of the Victoria Hotel has since been lost due to fire damage.

The latest designs have been developed to complement the local character while maximising the delivery of new affordable homes.

In Milton Road, the proposal is to replace the disused car park structure, which is at the end of its life, with 23 parking spaces, including two accessible parking bays, cycle parking and landscaping.

The online consultation will run from Wednesday, October 23 until November 20, and will be available on the TDC website at https://www.tendringdc.gov.uk/consultations/homes-for-dovercourt-developed-designs-consultation.

Paper copies will be available at Clacton Town Hall, Station Road, Clacton-on-Sea, CO15 1SE, weekdays between 9am and 3pm.

As part of the four-week public consultation, the project team is running a drop-in consultation event at Harwich & Dovercourt Hub at 276 High Street, Dovercourt, from 10am until 3pm on Saturday, October 26.

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