ENTREPRENEURS behind plans to create a rollerskating rink in Rochford say they are “quietly confident” the bid will be approved.

Clive Meech, 42, and his business partner Lee Hulls, 38, want to bring back the spirit of the Eighties by creating the rink, called Rollacity, in a disused building on Purdeys industrial estate, Rochford.

The proposal, similar to the old Roller City in Aviation Way, Southend, will go before Rochford District Council’s development control committee next week and planning officers have already given the scheme the thumbs-up.

Mr Meech said: “We are quietly confident. We won’t get too excited until we get a final decision, but so far the response from the experts has been positive.

“However, we were in this position last time and it was rejected, so we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves.”

Plans for the rink were first pitched by Mr Meech and Mr Hulls last year.

They were thrown out by councillors in August on the grounds the rink would be too noisy for neighbouring firm Thermo Fisher and the dangers posed by the lack of a pavement leading to the industrial estate.

To allay the fears, the businessmen recruited Peter Mapp, an acoustics expert who has installed sound systems in Covent Garden and Manchester United’s Old Trafford stadium, and is now working on several of the London Olympics venues.

The plan has been backed by the council’s environmental experts and Essex Fire and Rescue Service, although Thermo Fisher has raised new concerns over the noise levels and the amount of parking available for staff.

Councillors will make a final decision at a meeting in Rayleigh’s Civic Suite next Thursday, starting at 7.30pm.