Features
Student’s tasty way to transform the pier
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| Sarah Ponto with a model of her restaurant and brasserie for the end of the pier |
A TALENTED student has revealed her own ambitious plans to transform Southend Pier with a new restaurant and brasserie.
South East Essex College student, Sarah Ponto, 22, from Hockley, came up with the idea for a landmark restaurant as part of her degree course.
Last week, Renaissance Southend opened exhibitions on how the town and seafront could be transformed in the future.
Sarah looked closely into the studies and feedback from Southend Council in the run-up to the public consultation, and saw the area needed something that focused on the themes of the environment, maritime and relaxed recreation.
She said: "At the moment the pier doesn't really offer visitors or local people anything. I've always found it a bit of a boring place to go since the bowling alley has gone. I love the idea of the train taking people to and from an elegant, but affordable, place to eat on the pier.
"It really should be made more of a feature of the town as it is like a totally different world at the end of it and my restaurant design would help enhance and celebrate that."
The BA (Hons) interior design student also said her restaurant and brassiere would be indoors so it could welcome visitors and tourists whatever the weather at whatever time of year.
The design is made up of a brasserie for about 150 people, with a second level focusing on fine dining for around the same number of guests, with the seating designed to maximise estuary views.
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| The indoor restaurant would maximise estuary views |
The work was also recently on display at the prestigious New Designers show, in London, at the Business Design Centre, Islington.
John Lamb, Southend councillor responsible for enterprise, tourism and regeneration has not seen the student's design but he welcomed her efforts to be involved in the future of the town.
He said: "I wish more people would get involved like this. I can't comment on the design, but I think what she has done is brilliant.
"The council wouldn't be looking at running a restaurant on the pier so someone would have to come forward to run it."
6:20am Tuesday 15th July 2008
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CommentPosted by: Mr Man, Westcliff on 12:41pm Tue 15 Jul 08
Hust one point, Looking at Sarah Ponto's model, it dose away with the lifeboat station and the glass wall go's right to the edge of the pier head so no more boat trips...
Thick again love.
Hust one point, Looking at Sarah Ponto's model, it dose away with the lifeboat station and the glass wall go's right to the edge of the pier head so no more boat trips...
Thick again love.
Posted by: English teacher, Westcliff on 2:53pm Tue 15 Jul 08
I thought the model looked really exciting; I'm sure there's room there for boats to dock too. Mr. Man, it's quite difficult to understand your comments - is Thick again love your sign-off?
I thought the model looked really exciting; I'm sure there's room there for boats to dock too. Mr. Man, it's quite difficult to understand your comments - is Thick again love your sign-off?
Posted by: The Vicar, Basildon on 2:58pm Tue 15 Jul 08
Renaissance Southend's plans for a giant bouncy castle made out of Lime Jelly is still the better idea for an end-of-pier attraction I think.
If Miss Ponto wants to profit from trying to help Southend then she should become a consultant, create a completely unfeasible idea in the name of regeneration and - wahey - you're £100k richer!
Renaissance Southend's plans for a giant bouncy castle made out of Lime Jelly is still the better idea for an end-of-pier attraction I think.
If Miss Ponto wants to profit from trying to help Southend then she should become a consultant, create a completely unfeasible idea in the name of regeneration and - wahey - you're £100k richer!
Posted by: L, Hockley on 3:11pm Tue 15 Jul 08
Personally this was the best of the interior designs on display at the show and I thought that the design would tie in very well with the regeneration at the land end of the pier which makes the area far more attractive and would make the pier even more of an famous landmark along with being the longest pleasure pier in the world.
And for Mr Man, Spell Check is a great invention
Personally this was the best of the interior designs on display at the show and I thought that the design would tie in very well with the regeneration at the land end of the pier which makes the area far more attractive and would make the pier even more of an famous landmark along with being the longest pleasure pier in the world.
And for Mr Man, Spell Check is a great invention
Posted by: chunkeymonkey52, Southend on 2:06am Mon 28 Jul 08
Give the girl some credit, she's come up with a very plausible idea and sadly it takes a student to provide what a company of consultants appear to have failed to do.
Now let me see, the original fire was in 1976, thats 32 years ago, hmmm, perhaps that's not quite long enough for Southend Council to come up with any feasible ideas, perhaps they need a little more time? There have been many good ideas and offers for the pier over the years, why does Southend Council always drag it's heels over a project of this magnitude.Something should have been sorted out years ago. Oh and yes I nearly forgot, when the latest fire occured at the pier head the fire fighting equipment failed to work that night as well as back in 1976 - it took someone on the shore end to raise the alarm although there was a'caretaker'at the pier head that night???
Give the girl some credit, she's come up with a very plausible idea and sadly it takes a student to provide what a company of consultants appear to have failed to do.
Now let me see, the original fire was in 1976, thats 32 years ago, hmmm, perhaps that's not quite long enough for Southend Council to come up with any feasible ideas, perhaps they need a little more time? There have been many good ideas and offers for the pier over the years, why does Southend Council always drag it's heels over a project of this magnitude.Something should have been sorted out years ago. Oh and yes I nearly forgot, when the latest fire occured at the pier head the fire fighting equipment failed to work that night as well as back in 1976 - it took someone on the shore end to raise the alarm although there was a'caretaker'at the pier head that night???
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