CONTROVERSIAL plans for the 33-storey tower have been scrapped, so what is next for Gravesend town centre?

Last Tuesday (January 20) Gravesham Council leader Councillor Mike Snelling announced that developer Edinburgh House would withdraw the Gravesend Tower from its £150m regeneration scheme.

The tower would have had 223 apartments, and Cllr Snelling said that for the whole regeneration to be “financially viable” an alternative that generated the same amount of money would have to be found.

Cllr Snelling said: “Edinburgh House, in conversation with us, will be working to find a viable alternative to the tower - something that produces the same amount of net profit to make the scheme financially viable.

“Once an alternative is proposed it will go forward to a full public consultation.”

However Gravesham residents have already come forward with their ideas for an alternative.

Mark Saunders, of Lanes Avenue in Northfleet, said: “I’d like to see some sort of leisure complex, incorporating a cinema and sports and games facilities.”

The 39-year-old added: “With the 2012 Olympics approaching, we need something that will attract tourists during the games and make them want to come back to visit afterwards.”

Stanhope Road in Swanscombe resident Dave King also said a cinema would be welcome in Gravesend town centre, after the EMD in King Street closed in September 2003.

The 72-year-old said: “Gravesend lacks a cinema, so I would like to see one. Of course, it would have to be big to compete with the one at Bluewater.”

Shaun Young, aged 17, of Sun Lane in Gravesend, was also in favour of a cinema and a leisure centre, saying the current nearest ones are “too far away from the town centre”.

Plans for the tower in St Andrew’s Gardens were scrapped after “universal” oppostion.

Cllr Snelling said: “The universal view coming back was that a tower of that size in that location was not appropriate, and we have taken notice of those views.”

Both English Heritage and Kent County Council opposed the tower, and heavy criticism also came from residents' group Urban Gravesham, with 7,000 people signing its petition against it.

Urban Gravesham deputy chairman Martin McKay welcomed the removal of the tower from the plans, but said: “This is not the end of the story.”

“We are still seeking assurances there are no further plans to build on St Andrew's Gardens.

"We would like to see a temporary pause in the planning process to have a series of workshops involving Edinburgh House, Gravesham Council, English Heritage and local residents, to debate what we want to see from regeneration in the town centre."

However, Cllr Snelling said the planning application without the tower would have to progress through the system as quickly as possible for the £150m regeneration to be delivered on time.

Work is expected to begin this year on the scheme, which includes around 120,000 sq ft of retail space and will create more than 1,000 new jobs, and be completed by 2013.

Cllr Snelling said he could not influence whether the council’s planning committee decide to greenlight the application, but that it is “vital” to the economic future of the town centre.