A DEVELOPER keen to rid Southend seafront of aneyesore has accused the council of dragging its heels.

Esplanade House, a former office block in Eastern Esplanade, Southend, has been left part demolished for more than a year to the frustration of people living nearby.

Perry Gamon, from the Robert Leonard Group, is behind plans to develop the site into housing and a possible budget hotel.

The company also plans to build a four star hotel on part of the former gasworks site next door and a new restaurant on the old corporation loading pier.

Mr Gamon has criticised Southend Council for slowing down progress and said the firm had spent over £1 million while trying to get approval for the redevelopment of the Esplanade House site.

He added: “The council’s previous chief executive George Krawiec practically begged us to redevelop Esplanade House when we could have just sat there with an empty building collecting rent until 2021.

“We were to be given ‘every support’ by the council to create a high density, mixed use development offering significant regeneration and employment opportunities.”

Mr Gamon added earlier plans had been rejected by members of the council’s development control committee, even though they had been backed by officers.

He said the building had not been totally demolished because if this happened the site would no longer have approval for office use, which may be needed if the housing plans don’t go ahead.

Mr Gamon said the company had invested £2million on the Ambassadors Hotel next door, but at a time of recession, no-one would be prepared to operate it next to a derelict building.

He added: “We are trying to regenerate a rundown area, create jobs, remove contamination, improve property values, produce new high quality open spaces and new pedestrian links to the seafront.

“We are about to submit a new planning application and have a top housebuilder with funding in place to decontaminate the site and build the scheme on a joint venture basis.”

John Lamb, Southend councillor responsible for regeneration, said: “There can be no guarantee a scheme will be approved even if it is recommended by officers.”