COLLECTIVE HARVESTING OF MEMORY

Situated on the Thames Estuary, Southend-on-Sea has only recently been granted city status, in March 2022. With this, however, it seems that the town is drifting away from the raw, coastal character of the area. This project proposes to reclaim the area of Clarence Road Car Park in the interest of the community and as a place of learning, growing and making. The project themes integrate new areas of urban farming, communal cooking and dining, together with library and workshop spaces, therefore behaving as a new ‘piazza’ for the city. Therefore, the new proposal is an attempt to heal the ‘wounds’ of the city as a means of integrating nature, engaging the community and preserving tradition and craft.