A1159 road

The A1159 road is a short road skirting the north of Southend-on-Sea from Prittlewell to Southchurch, in Essex, England.

A127/A1159 Cuckoo Corner & Priory Crescent

In 2000 plans were announced to dual an 800m stretch of the A1159 comprising Priory Crescent and the Cuckoo Corner junction connecting it to the A127. This plan would, alongside the widening of the road, also included rebuilding of the bridge on which the road crosses the railway line. Preparatory work in 2003 led to the discovery of the Royal Saxon tomb in Prittlewell archaeological remains, a rare example of Anglo-Saxon burial. The road scheme has faced local controversy due to its location over the grave site and the loss of land from the adjoining Priory Park that would occur with its construction. The scheme is opposed by single issue local campaign groups Parklife and Priory Park Preservation Society. Since 2005 it has also been the site on an anti-road protest camp known as Camp Bling. Due to the opposition from local residents and the escalation in costs the scheme is currently under review. When first proposed in 2000 the scheme was given an estimated cost of £3.5 million, but by 2006 costs had escalated to £20 million and in 2008 the new scheme was estimated at £10.8 million. This reduction in cost is mostly due to the removal of proposals to rebuild the railway bridge from the scheme.

At a meeting held between campaigners and Council members at the end of April 2009 it was announced that the scheme had been abandoned following its failure to receive funding from central government. Southend Council has now instead secured £5 million from the government for a project to ease congestion at the Cuckoo Corner roundabout. This new project would have no effect on Priory Park or the burial site and reduces the widening of Priory Crescent.