A total investment of some £25 million will be ploughed into Southend's landmark Kursaal amusement centre, it has ben revealed.

The new owners, the Trehaven Group, has paid £16 million to the Rowallan Group for the remainder of the 199-year lease from the council which owns the freehold of the building.

Director William Woodward-Fisher, who is running the Southend project, said he anticipated there would be a further investment of between £8 million and £10 million in the building.

The final shape of the new Kursaal has yet to emerge but it is likely to involve a variety of upmarket restaurants and bars.

The company envisages Southend becoming the Brighton of the east which other attractions as well as those traditionslly associated with the town.

Mr Woodward-Fisher said there was tremendous potential in the first floor of the building which is currently unused but has been previously earmarked for a conference centre and then as an extension to the Rendezvous casino.

He went on: "I would anicipate the Rendezvous casino taking over a considerable amount of this space, now it is known Southend is not in the running for the first super casino.

"The rest of it has the potential for the sort of upmarket restaurants which we are looking at as the main attraction for the building.

"We see the bowling alley as an important part of the Kursaal and we will be working closely with the operators.

"There is a tremendous amount of potential in the building which is not being used at the moment."