A hated “Spanish-style plaza” blocking off a stretch of seafront to traffic is set to be axed just months after being brought in.

The pedestrianised square in Central Parade, Herne Bay, has proved highly controversial since being installed earlier this year.

And now its days look numbered as a working group set up amid the backlash says it will recommend to Kent’s transport chief that the scheme be scrapped.

No decision has yet been made, but the man who will decide the plaza’s fate – Kent County Council cabinet member for transport Neil Baker – says it is as good as a done deal.

“The removal of the plaza is as close to a guarantee as you’re going to get,” he told KentOnline this morning.

Referencing the one-way system and 20mph limits introduced at the same time as the plaza, he added: “More elements may or may not go but I will need to reflect on feedback to find the best solution.”

While the move would open up Central Parade to traffic again, the working group has recommended the square still be used for events that would see the route temporarily closed on occasion.

KCC councillor for Herne Bay Dan Watkins – a vocal supporter of the scheme in the past - told KentOnline he feels the new set-up would be a “fair compromise” for the people of Herne Bay.

“I would say the number one change people are concerned about is now resolved,” he said.

“Lots of people write to me saying that they like having that extra public space, but equally huge numbers of people made their voice clear that they want to be able to drive all the way along the the seafront.

“What happens now is the officers have just got to work up the detail of what we've agreed in principle, and if Neil agrees then we can put it into motion.

“We're keeping most of the benefits of the active travel scheme as originally envisaged, but we're also making a compromise on the plaza itself to make sure motorists feel that they can still get around the seafront as they wish.

“It leaves intact the improvements we've made to people who want to walk, wheel and cycle around the town, such as the cycle lane and the one-way streets, and everyone benefits from the 20mph zone because motorists benefit from less accidents.”

If approved, Central Parade could be opened up this summer, but legal restrictions linked to traffic regulation orders in the area could hold up the process, with no strict timeline in place.

Questions also remain over whether KCC will have to pay back the cost of the plaza – at £100,000 – to the government’s Active Travel England fund.

It comes just over a month after council chiefs said the scheme, which was unveiled in January, was still bedding in and had not yet realised its full potential.

Supporters had said it could untap the town’s potential, with council bosses claiming the plaza would “boost the local economy and encourage more trips to the town’s pier”.

However, support has been in short supply, with many critics speaking out against the plans.

Hundreds of people flocked to public meetings in January to offer opinions on the plaza, with one such discussion having to be suspended after too many residents turned up.

Janet Farbrace, who previously remarked the plaza she would have ripped up the plaza herself if she had a digger, was delighted to hear the project is set to be scrapped.

The Herne Bay resident of 50 years said: “I’m absolutely ecstatic with the news - a lot of people have missed driving along the seafront.

“They cut the town in half; it’s been absolutely awful.

“The one-way system hasn’t worked so far - cars haven’t followed it nor have runners or cyclists.

“I have to say if they initially led with the idea of a temporary plaza, it would have gone down better.”