THE developers behind a £50m cinema and restaurant scheme have insisted they will press ahead with the project – whether the council likes it or not.

The West Central scheme planned for Exeter Road in Bournemouth looked doomed after Bournemouth council indicated it no longer supported the scheme.

Councillors are set to renege on a deal to sell developers Licet part of the land needed to complete the scheme and believe this effectively kills off the multi-million pound project.

But Licet has hit back, claiming the council’s “u-turn” will not affect them.

They claim the scheme can still be built without the council’s land and any changes can be dealt with by minor amendments to their existing planning permission.

It leaves Licet in a stand-off with the council, with both sides claiming they have the upper hand.

The true test will be whether Licet now carries out its threat of building the scheme in defiance of the council’s wishes.

Chris Dymont, of Licet, said: “The project previously was fully supported by the council and the planning consent was re-granted only last year.

“The site is therefore capable of coming forward for development immediately with a willing site owner and a funded developer and there is a string of occupiers lined up to sign for units.

“We have explained to the council that the purchase of the small strip of land in question is not necessary for the development to continue and that NCP and Licet will continue with our proposals.”

If Licet is able to progress the scheme, Bournemouth will be left in a situation where there are three potential cinema and restaurant schemes within a few hundred metres of each other.

The others are at the Winter Gardens and the Pavilion.

Mr Dymont said they were in a better position than the developers behind both of these schemes because they have an agreement with NCP, which owns the majority of the rest of the site.

He said: “It is important to bear in mind that of all the proposed Bournemouth projects, only one of the sites is actually owned by the party promoting its development, whereas the others are timebound and on relatively short-term, highly conditional contracts with the council, which will fall away in the next few months.

“West Central has the unanimous support of the restaurant market, who see our Exeter Road location as the best in town for a family leisure offer.

“We also have a market-leading cinema operator, who will be new to the town. Ultimately, it’s the occupiers who will influence the final outcome.”

Cllr John Beesley, acting leader of Bournemouth council, told the Echo he had taken extensive advice on whether Licet could build the approved scheme without the council’s land and did not believe they could.

He said that moving the development would be difficult, and would require a new planning application and added that the council could issue a compulsory purchase order for the Exeter Road site if necessary.

“We want to see a new proposal come forward that meets the transport needs of the area.

“The common sense approach would be to try and incorporate that into a commercial development,” he said.

The three different sites

The Pavilion Gardens:

Put forward by developer Trevor Osborne, the current plans are for a nine-screen cinema, 15 restaurants, shops and a 350-space car park. Planning application expected imminently.

The Winter Gardens:

A £100m scheme by a private pension fund that proposes a hotel, a multiplex cinema, grocery store, 240 apartments and a public piazza. Application for planning permission has just been submitted.

West Central, Exeter Road:

£50m scheme for a restaurant and cinema complex, proposed by developer Licet Holdings. Planning permission awarded in 2006 and renewed last year.