DEVELOPER Howard Holdings admitted today that it is reviewing the £120 million redevelopment scheme for Weymouth Pavilion.

Its statement throws fresh doubt into the whole future of the controversial project.

Howard’s investment director Geoff Sparrow told the Echo: “The proposal is under review. We are like every other developer in the UK and every other scheme in the UK.”

Mr Sparrow said Howard Holdings had nothing more to add to its statement.

But Weymouth and Portland Borough Council chief executive Tom Grainger said: “Their comment is consistent with what we understood their position to be, namely that the economics of the scheme need to be reviewed.

“However, we still need prompt confirmation that Howard Holdings intends to proceed with its planning application for the scheme.”

The authority has been desperately trying to get confirmation from the company over whether it intends to meet its building obligations under the building agreement and whether it will be going ahead with a planning application.

Mr Grainger said: “We have followed the legal process set out in the development agreement and we now await a response from Howard Holdings by the deadline set, which is early next week.

“If the deadline passes without a response from them then we will take legal advice on what our next step should be.”

At stake is a controversial scheme which includes 340 apartments in a complex rising in parts to eight storeys and a remodelled Pavilion Theatre with the backstage and front-of-house facilities revamped.

The project also includes a marina with 290 berths, a world heritage centre, an improved ferry terminal, a covered car park with 400 spaces, beachside performance space and a 140-bed four-star hotel, shops, restaurants, strengthened sea defences and a pier.

Uncertainty over the future of the scheme has rekindled opposition to it by objectors who want to see the whole redevelopment scaled down.

They claim that the credit crunch means that it will be virtually impossible for any large-scale scheme to be achieved on time and they have renewed calls for a public inquiry to be held into the scheme.