The owners of a fun park are hoping to install a 40m (131ft) viewing platform next to the big wheel attraction.
Adventure Island, opened the 36m (118ft) City Wheel in December in Southend, to celebrate gaining city status in March 2022.
Planning permission is being sought for both structures, as one was not obtained for the wheel when it opened.
Southend Council is expected to recommend approval for the part-retrospective application.
It if gets the go-ahead the tower could be installed by the summer of 2024.
Both applications will be discussed at the council’s development control committee on Wednesday.
Philip Miller, the owner of the seafront fun park, said: “We were very keen to ensure the City Wheel was erected in the year of the celebration of Southend being awarded city status.”
He said he had been working with the council to make it a permanent fixture and to “ensure all of the necessary reports and consents are put into place”.
“This has included an extensive, year-long ornithological survey and habitat regulation given the sensitivities of the nearby foreshore,” he said.
Some residents said the height of the tourist attraction was excessive and impacted views, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.
A heritage impact assessment said there would be a moderately detrimental impact on a view of the pier from Royal Terrace.
Planning officers said the wheel would be “a significant visitor attraction” and provide the equivalent of five full time jobs.
