A LUXURY hotel with underground parking and up to 40 apartments could be built on the site of the Esplanade pub on Southend seafront.

The scheme, which has been discussed with council planners by developers Renewal Southend, could be part of a deal to help stabilise the cliffs.

The council’s cabinet agreed behind closed doors to sell land next to the pub as well as Marriott’s fish and chip restaurant to Renewal Southend, which owns the pub in Eastern Esplanade.

The sale price is not known.

The news has come as a blow to Mark Marriott, who took on the lease of the restaurant after his former business at the pierhead was destroyed in the 2005 fire.

He said: “I’m not blaming the firm which wants to develop the pub, but I think I should have been told by the council rather than the Echo that it was intending to sell my lease from under my feet.

“I have been told the new owners will honour my lease for the next five years, but now I just don’t know what is going to happen.

“I have been told the council received an offer they couldn’t refuse for buying this restaurant, land which goes to the top of the cliffs and a store at the back of the pub.”

Mr Marriott said he understood a luxury hotel with 40 apartments and underground parking was proposed for the site It is believed the development of the pub will be linked with work to stabilise the cliffs following the landslip in 2003.

Council minutes relating to the sale stated any works to stabilise the cliffs would need the prior approval of members.

This suggests the scheme would help the council achieve its aim of ensuring there are no repeats of the 2003 slip, which demolished most of the bandstand and caused damage to a large area of the cliffs.

Andrew Moring, Southend councillor responsible for resources, said any development was in the early stages. He said: “It makes sense to sell a property which is of no future use to the council. We have built in safeguards about any concerns with the cliffs slippage in the future.

“There are a lot of rumours about a hotel being built on the site of the pub, but we have not been formally approached.”