Media students from South Essex College helped to create Southend Borough Council’s new local plan film engaging young people in their consultation for the future of the town.
Level 3 Film & TV students, who all study at the Southend Campus, took part in focus groups to share their views on the town. They also worked in front and behind the camera, giving them valuable work experience.
Southend Borough Council is currently conducting a consultation, to gather views about what people think the next 20 years of the area should look like. They want people to have their say on topics such as the economy, housing, retail, transport, green spaces, leisure facilities and the airport.
The video, while showing sweeping views of the town and seafront, includes real and honest attitudes towards Southend then goes on to highlight how it can be improved. View the full video here.
Ben Hole from Main Media Video created the film. He said: “SEC students played a really important part in creating this film, we worked with them to refine the key messages and they reviewed our storyboards early in the production process, this really helped planning the shoot. Students appeared both in front of and worked behind the camera to create shorter pieces of content for the wider campaign, some of them have continued to work with us across the summer.”
Cllr Ian Gilbert, leader of the council, said: “The new Local Plan will provide much greater certainty for communities, businesses and investors on where future development should go and the quality of development we will expect. Local Plans are a legal requirement and vital as they provide a framework for guiding decisions on individual planning applications. The Government has set out a Standard Methodology housing figure for each Local Planning Authority area in the country. The Local Plan must seek to meet this and deliver the infrastructure, economic growth, jobs, new facilities, environmental protections, and a clear and effective response to climate change that we will need alongside it."
For more information, to view the video and join in with the consultation, visit the website.
On Wednesday 13th October, the Southend Local Plan consultation group will be outside the Forum from 11.30am-2.30pm so students can have their say on the plans.
South Essex College offers a variety of Media courses at its Southend campus, they all include periods of work experience so students are prepared to enter the industry when they finish their studies. Full details about courses available can be found on the college’s website, visit www.southessex.ac.uk