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Improvements to transportation routes are important to the continued development of Southend. That point was well made by the hon. Gentleman. As was pointed out, a significant part of the borough council's plans is the work on Priory crescent and its junction with the A127 at Cuckoo corner-a pinch-point on the route to and from the eastern part of Southend. The Department for Transport has provided just under £5 million through the community infrastructure fund, or CIF2, taking the scheme through to completion by March 2011. Work on the Victoria gateway, which will provide improved pedestrian links between Victoria station and the town centre, will also start shortly. Both schemes should help to improve public transport prioritisation and through-route development of the south Essex rapid transit scheme. I also note the hon. Gentleman's point about c2c, which I will push in the direction of the relevant Minister.
However, as we know, regeneration is as much about communities as it is about physical infrastructure. I would like to note some of the work seeking to improve the lives of those in the more deprived areas. We have allocated £1.6 million from the neighbourhood element of the safer and stronger communities fund to Southend-on-Sea. The programme has delivered genuine results, such as the small grant programme for local people developing schemes to support their residents, as well as neighbourhood wardens, who patrol the local area during daytime hours.
Some £243,500 has been awarded from the social enterprise investment fund to set up the St. Luke's healthy living centre, a social enterprise aiming to improve the health and well-being of local people and create training, employment and social enterprise opportunities for residents. The local strategic partnership has also set up community voices, a series of free community engagement-focused events designed to give residents and businesses direct access to key agencies. The most recent event was themed "Beat the Recession", and provided advice and guidance on a range of topics, from personal finance to dealing with stress.
The hon. Gentleman also spoke about the pier and the redevelopment there. Wave 3 of the sea change programme was heavily oversubscribed. The sea change partnership, which is led by the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment, which manages the programme on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and its partner non-departmental bodies, had to make difficult choices among good projects. Written feedback on why the bid was unsuccessful has been given to Southend borough council. Wave 3 of the sea change programme takes us to the end of 2010-11, and it is too soon to make announcements on public expenditure beyond then.
There is no doubt that Southend is a place with a very bright future indeed. However, we must ensure that the momentum is consolidated and built upon. We recognise that, with other places, Southend faces challenges, some of which have been made more difficult in the current economic climate. The Government and local partners have been actively working together to try to reduce the impact of the downturn on local communities and businesses.
11.28 pm
House adjourned without Question put (Standing Order No. 9(7)).
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