Dramatic plans to reconfigure Herne Bay’s street layout to link the town centre with the seafront have been scrapped.

Developers behind the proposals to drive a new thoroughfare from Beach Street through to the clock tower are blaming a council U-turn on car park provision.

Architects from Clague Kent are now reviewing their position after council officials decided they could not give up a 22-space car park in Beach Street, which had been earmarked for 15 flats as part of the scheme.

Andrew Clague, senior partner of Clague Kent, said: “We are hugely disappointed.

“The plans involved a piece of council land and they were going to contribute the small car park for the link.

“But I think they were concerned about the loss of parking and the new council has changed its planning policy.”

Mr Clague applied for planning permission in September last year.

He said his company will probably make another application but, without the car park space available, will no longer be able to provide a link.

Mr Clague said: “I personally think our application was very important to the town – it was a route from the station down to the seafront, meeting the seafront and dragging people into the shopping area.

“We had been working on it for three years.

“Our other application wouldn’t be able to provide a link, but it would tidy it all up and improve it because it is pretty poor looking on the seafront opposite the clock tower.”

If the new application is submitted, Mr Clague said that the buildings on Central Parade would be knocked down and rebuilt with 12 flats put in their place.

"I personally think our application was very important to the town..." - Andrew Clague

City council spokesman Rob Davies says the authority feels it needs to hold onto its car parks.

He said: “There was an early stage proposal for us to release a car park in Beach Street as part of a development which would create a gap through to the seafront.

“We regularly review parking supply around the district and now feel that it would not be right to lose this parking capacity in Beach Street at the current time.

“However, we’re continuing to explore new possibilities with the developer in this area of the town.”