The Palace Hotel will be restored to its former glory after plans were agreed for a £20m revamp.

The move means the Palace can be restored as a 150-bedroom hotel with a conference centre with bars and restaurants.

The Victorian fabric of the building will remain untouched, with the modern additions of a glass rooftop restaurant, with spectacular views over the estuary, and external glass lifts on the rear of the building.

Plans were given the go-ahead during a special meeting of the development control committee yesterday and councillors welcomed the development and praised the design of the alterations.

Southend councillor Ron Price (Cons, Prittlewell) called the proposals by Essex University and hotel owner Octagon "an early Christmas present" to the town, because something was finally happening to the hotel.

See today's Echo for the full story.