Plans for a £50million leisure complex have been confirmed with details of how it could look revealed.

Turnstone Estates submitted plans for the Seaway Leisure complex off Lucy Road which have now been validated and will be voted on.

The development includes a six-storey, 80 bedroom Travelodge hotel situated alongside a large two-storey leisure complex which will house an 11-screen Empire cinema with IMAX and a Hollywood Bowl.

The two buildings have been designed to provide an eye-catching entrance from the Seaway roundabout.

The plans show entrances to various outlets on the ground floor of the leisure complex with the cinema screens situated on the first floor.

Clacton and Frinton Gazette:

South of the cinema complex the plans reveal a two-storey building next to Herbert Grove to house restaurants on the ground floor and further leisure space above.

This is likely to include indoor golf, a climbing wall and a virtual reality zone.

The cinema has layers of cladding to minimise the impact of the building and “break down the perception of scale and mass”.

The application states: “The hotel has been designed as a counterpoint to the scale of the leisure building. This combined with the orientation of the two buildings acts as an urban frame to the important view down Queensway and out over the estuary beyond.”

The plans have proved controversial with seafront traders claiming a net loss of parking spaces which they believe will deter visitors to the town in the summer.

Plans show a four-storey car park will have capacity for 391 cars with further spaces across the complex bringing spaces up to 555 in line with a planning inspector’s requirements.

There will also be a new public square.

Clacton and Frinton Gazette:

Prime site - Seaway car park will make way for new centre

The application is also seeking permission for the demolition of numbers 1, 2 and 29 Herbert Grove and a toilet block.

The complex is expected to provide about 500 new jobs and a boost to the town centre economy with an additional £15 million per year.

Southend Council has had a long-standing vision to redevelop the site to contribute to leisure, culture and tourism in central Southend as set out in the Southend Central Area Action Plan 2018. Turnstone Estates hope to receive a decision from the council on their £50 million proposal in Spring 2019, in line with the Council’s roadmap to 2050.

A controversial deal between Southend Council and the developer involved the sale of the leasehold land for a nominal £1. The scheme was not put out to tender.

The council will receive ground rent and rental from businesses on the site but some have questioned whether the the authority has got the best deal out of the prominent site.

However the council believes the scheme will bring in £1million a year to its coffers, provide a boost to the local economy and revitalise the High Street area. The deadline for a decision has been extended until January 2020.