PLANS for a new nightclub on Canvey have been unveiled – but council officials have called for them to be rejected.

Venue Entertainments wants to transform the old DIY store Fads in Furtherwick Road, into a club with a dance floor, outside seating area, and VIP lounge.

However, officers have recommended councillors reject the proposals next week due to the company not completing a sufficient flood risk assessment.

Leigh-based BGA Architects submitted the application to Castle Point Council on behalf of Venue Entertainments, to revamp the two-storey, 2,094sq-m site.

Bernard Gooding, one of the owners of BGA Architects, said: “The company wants to try to make Canvey a more vibrant place, where people will want to go out. It will also create eight or ten jobs, which is always something good in this climate.”

Ryan Macro, 21, of St Christopher’s Close, Canvey, said: “It would be good if they could put a nightclub on Canvey because there are not enough places for a good night out on the Island. Not to mention it is hard and expensive getting to Basildon and Southend all the time.”

Despite councillors claiming Canvey has the best sea defences in the country, the island is classified as a higher flood risk by the Environment Agency, meaning developers have to adhere to tougher regulations before submitting a planning application.

Councillor Bill Dick, chairman of the council’s development control committee, said: “Officers and councillors cannot recommend applications for approval if companies do not complete these risk assessments, but we will see what the applicant comes forward with.”

Residents in Furtherwick Road and Elm Road, who were consulted about the plans, also raised concerns about noise levels and the possibility of increased antisocial behaviour, as many people live as little as 20 metres away from the site.

John Pharro, 68, of Orrmo Road, Canvey, said: “People would be spilling out of there at all times of the night, it would be terrible. You have the seafront for those kinds of places. Furtherwick Road is primarily a residential area, and it should be kept that way. The poor residents there already have a bar they have to contend with where there have been a number of problems in the past.”

There were fears about side roads becoming congested with motorists, as the free car parks in nearby Oak Road and Long Road could be set to start charging drivers.

The development control committee will discuss the application at a council meeting next Tuesday. The meeting will take place from 7.30pm at the Castle Point Council offices, in Kiln Road, Thundersley.