RUBBISH bins will not block plans for a new multiplex cinema near Southend seafront, the council has said.

Southend Council officers want to move waste storage bins from Seaway Car Park, Southend, to make way for the new cinema, restaurant and entertainment complex.

But councillors threw out plans to store the rubbish from seafront bins in a new lock-up beside Southend Pier over fears it would spoil the tourist hotspot when other suitable sites were available.

Officers, who already ruled out alternative sites in Pitmans Close, Darlow’s Green and Southchurch Park, have gone back to the drawing board to find a suitable location.

Andrew Lewis, the council’s corporate director for place, said: “Officers are looking again at practical locations and the service delivery options to ensure the seafront area can continue to be cleaned to the expected standards without causing undue disruption to seafront visitors and traffic, while supporting the redevelopment of Seaway car park.

“We do not expect this decision to affect the submission of a planning application for the Seaway site.”

Planners were expecting an application for the cinema this summer, but the scheme has yet to be submitted.