Tendring District Council plans to fund upgrades to a key Jaywick Sands route after residents ranked the work as their top priority.

If Cabinet signs it off on Friday, 20 March, the authority will arrange urgent pothole repairs along the unadopted stretch of Brooklands.

The council will also explore further renovations to keep the road usable for longer.

Over recent months, engagement specialists public works, alongside architects Adams and Sutherland, have been consulting Jaywick Sands residents on desired improvements to local open spaces under a government-funded project run by TDC.

There was unanimous backing for action on Brooklands, where poor drainage has left the carriageway peppered with potholes.

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Councillor Ivan Henderson, TDC Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Economic Growth, Regeneration and Tourism said: "The state of Brooklands is a core issue that impacts people's lives every day.

"As the road is unadopted and the landowner is unidentifiable, it is not the legal responsibility of TDC or Essex Highways to fix it, nor to take ongoing responsibility for its maintenance in the long term.

"However, with the government funding behind us earmarked for improvements to Jaywick Sands, this is an opportunity to act which we simply cannot pass up.

"Not only can we fill in the potholes soon, but we can also explore what can be done to ensure the road stays in decent condition for the next few years.

"Previously, bus companies have refused to use the road when it has reached this state and that has a massive impact on people living in the area.

"The community has told us this is their top priority, so taking this bold step is the right thing to do."

Cabinet members will be asked to add Brooklands to the scope of the open spaces project at Friday's meeting, which would permit the emergency works to proceed.

The programme features several potential schemes for Jaywick Sands shaped by the engagement, with final selections to be confirmed in the coming months.

Subject to approval, funding would be reallocated from a less popular Tudor Fields walking and cycling route proposal to support the Brooklands work.