Bosses of the struggling Knightswick shopping mall on Canvey have been warned to "shape up or ship out".

Castle Point's regeneration partnership has even threatened to look at the compulsory purchase of the centre, which is currently a third empty, should owners Manchester Pension Fund not co-operate.

The partnership has been given £600,000 of Government money to revamp the town centre.

Of that £100,000 will be spent putting together a town centre masterplan, the rest will go towards the revamp.

Yesterday, partnership members met with island traders and businessmen in the Oysterfleet hotel to discuss ways of bringing the town back to life.

Mark Evershed, partnership manager, said: "The sort of shops Knightswick bosses think Canvey will attract are those like Aldi, Wilkinson and Poundland - as if Canvey hasn't got any money to spend.

"There are 40,000 to 50,000 people on the island and that number of people should be able to generate a much more significant retail and business offer then we have at the moment."

Mr Evershed said "top professionals" would be brought in to devise a masterplan.

He added: "Doing nothing isn't an option. We will try to bring players on the pitch or we will work to get rid of them.

"It is either shape up or ship out to the Knightswick bosses.

"However, the preferred option is to work with the Knightswick centre to convince them we are going to generate the interest needed for them to make that investment."

David Shakespear, manager of the Knightswick centre, said he was willing to work with the regeneration partnership and backed his bosses by saying they had been key in attracting Sainsbury's to the island.

He also tried to justify why the centre was only two-thirds full.

He said: "In general the rents are certainly no more than what would be commercially expected.

"They are reviewed on a regular basis and we need to keep it full to make it financially viable.

"We are trying to attract larger businesses to the centre."

Norman Smith, cabinet member responsible for regeneration, said: "As a council we have for many years ignored the town centres.

"They have done their own thing and to some extent regenerated themselves. As a council we have done very little to help.

"Now we are quite a successful council and it's our ambition to regenerate the trading estates as well as the two main town centres in Hadleigh and Canvey."

Some £1.8million has already been earmarked to be shared between Charfleets industrial estate on Canvey and the Manor Trading estate, Ben- fleet. The cash came from the East of England Development Agency and the Department for Communities and Local Government.

A £100,000 masterplan for Hadleigh town centre is being completed for councillors to look at next month.

Businessman's Third World jibe

TRADERS and businessman gave their views on where £500,000 would be best spent on improving the island's town centre at yesterday's meeting.

David Hook, of solicitors Hook and Partners in the High Street, said: "The island looks like some sort of Third World country. You've got that ridiculous bus lane which no one adheres to and most of the buses don't even use it.

"If that's supposed to be the welcome to Canvey, it just looks awful."

Diane Birch, a business coach on Canvey, said new signs were needed to help visitors get around the island and know what businesses are there.

She said: "The right signage is a really big issue for people coming on to the island from elsewhere.

"You don't know Canvey Heights is there unless you know the island.

"When you get to the town centre you find the facilities they really are basic.

"When it comes to the toilets - you just don't want to go in them."

Mike Machin, chairman of the Canvey town centre traders association, said more short-term parking in the town centre, outside shops, was needed.

He also said traders needed better street lighting in the winter.

The suggestions will now be looked at and accessed by the regeneration partnership who will look at the cost of each suggestion and how they could be implemented.