THE community forum which represents the townspeople of Erith is demanding a radical rethink of plans to regenerate the riverside area of the town.

Bexley Council’s Erith Western Gateway project which would have seen a multi-million pound makeover of 13 riverfront areas of the town, collapsed in February when the chosen developer, housebuilders Crest Nicholson, pulled out because of the credit crunch.

Now Erith’s town forum, always unhappy with the proposals, has suggested the council looks again at the project.

It is questioning whether some of the Erith Western Gateway sites should be included in the regeneration project, saying the top of Pier Road should be included, but Riverside Gardens and Carrack House and Bosworth House tower blocks, should be removed.

Townspeople have always opposed plans for more high rise blocks of flats.

Now the forum says the proposed 700 new homes are too many.

In a letter to the council the forum says families need houses with gardens, not flats.

It added: “Other parts of the borough must take their share.

“Erith already has too many blocks of flats. It would be disastrous to build more.”

The forum wants plans for a hotel on the site of the former Walnut Treet Road depot dropped, especially as no hotel chain has shown any interest, and replaced with offices or light industry.

It claims more shops in the project area will only be needed if empty shops in the shopping centre are filled.

And it says more should be done to attract facilities the town needs, such as another bank, launderette and a high quality restaurant open at night.

The forum suggests more community facilities such as a soft play centre, an outside adventure park and somewhere to relocate the highly successful Europa Gym Club which desperately needs a new home.

It wants the Carnegie building, formerly Erith library, open to the public, possibly as the town museum, and two-way traffic restored to Bexley Road.

Bexley says it still plans to press ahead with the project and is looking at earlier master plans including Crest Nicholson’s proposals.

It wants a project which will be financially attractive to developers and bring the benefits it is looking for.

It says revised proposals will go to public consultation next year.

A spokesman said the forum was not invited to comment on the project, but did so voluntarily.