Kursaal To Reopen

A LOCAL MP has announced the news that Southend’s landmark attraction will be saved for future generations, as a new leaseholder was announced.
It was announced last week that the Kursaal will reopen as a “leisure-focused” attraction, after months of work to get the attraction back into use.
Bayo Alaba, the Labour MP for Southend East and Rochford, said the Kursaal was “a building of historical significance and architecture”.
He announced: “After months of hard work, I am thrilled to see this iconic building coming back into community use. It’s part of the fabric of Southend and I’m excited to work alongside Star Amusements in the coming months.”
Thought to be the world’s first purpose-built entertainment park, the iconic building opened in 1901.
In its lifetime it has hosted a ballroom, a zoo, countless gigs as a favourite music venue, as well as giving the famous Southend group The Kursaal flyers their name.
Its stand out name originates from the German word meaning “cure hall” referring to the main banquet hall of a spa town, and indicating the restorative and leisure attributes affiliated with seaside amusements and holidays.
Since its heyday, its fortunes have been mixed, with the historic building empty and closed, and recent picture showing the decorative interior in a state of disrepair from water damage.
It was revealed recently that Southend’s Labour-led Council had been considering legal action against property group AEW due to the deteriorating condition of the site.
However, it announced on City Day that the Kursaal would be reopening as a leisure venue, with no subsidy coming from the council for this.
Coun Daniel Cowan, Southend Council’s leader, said there was finally “a clear path to reopening” the building.
“The Kursaal is woven into the story of Southend and for too long the Kursaal’s future has been uncertain,” Coun Cowan added.
“Today we can say it has a credible local operator, a leisure vision for the building and a clear path to reopening.”
AEW are now due to transfer the lease of the venue to Star Amusements by the end of the summer.
Essential repairs to the building—listed among Southend’s neglected sites—are expected to begin soon, once legal agreements are finalised.
Nick Singer, operations director at Star Amusements, said it would be a “high-quality” offering that complemented the city.
He added: “There is significant work to undertake, but we are ready to move forward and will share further details as our plans progress.”
“The location is famous on the Southend skyline and is deeply embedded in the history of seafront architecture, as well as in local memories.
“Great-grandparents met in the ballroom, children have grown up laughing in its arcades and bowling alleys, and countless memories made here connect generations across our city,” MP Bayo Alaba added.
Picture: Bayo Alaba MP and Daniel Cowan Council leader outside the Kursaal
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