LOYAL customers at a Southend seafront coffee kiosk built without planning permission during the pandemic have spoken of their “dismay and shock” after the business was ordered to close permanently.
Seathorpe Espresso, on Eastern Esplanade, must close and its owners must remove the wooden kiosk by June after a failed appeal with the Government’s planning inspectorate.
However, regulars at the quirky coffee shop have been left devastated by the news and believe the business is “an incredible community asset.
The planning appeal was rejected because of concerns about the impact on living conditions of neighbours and fears the kiosk creates “noise, disturbance and loss of privacy” for neighbours.
Seathorpe Espresso regular and Eastern Esplanade resident, Paul Brand, said: “Everyone who has come to the kiosk and heard the news is appalled, shocked and dismayed, they cannot believe it.
“It has been very difficult.
“I just can’t believe it, every time I share the news, people ask ‘for what reason’, it seems that there hasn’t been an attempt to distinguish the kiosk in the context of the street.
“I live behind where the kiosk is, so I come here a lot and I barely notice it is here.
“Every weekend I go mostly for the company and because you can always talk to someone here and I see Ray, the owner, almost every day.
“The complaints that lead to this were made by a minute number of people, it has been years since the kiosk was at its most popular, even during the pandemic, it wasn’t that noisy or disruptive.
“Year’s ago, this plot was just barren, empty land where people would throw their bottle and cans, and it will likely return to being a jarring empty space.”
Vincent Lovett, 92 and Una Lovett, 94, have been trying to go to the kiosk for coffee almost every day to enjoy the community it has built for them.
Una said: “Me and Vincent just love coming here, we live not too far away, and we try to make it to see Beverly and Ray, despite the windy weather.
“Beverly has personally supported us, we wouldn’t have met them without the kiosk being here, we both love the community here.
"It’s an incredible community asset.”
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