Swale council is to apply for up to £20m in a bid to regenerate Sheppey and Sheerness in particular, with a focus on seaside fun.

The council hopes to dip into the government’s £4 billion “levelling up” fund to revive Sheerness seafront by rebuilding the Sheppey Leisure Centre and swimming pool.

It also wants to introduce a five-a-side football pitch, a bowling alley, crazy golf facilities and perhaps even a restaurant with sea views like all other seaside resorts.

Cabinet members and officers have already begun holding a series of informal meetings with Islanders to pinpoint what’s needed.

An extraordinary meeting of the council’s Sheppey Area Committee will be held early in the new year to thrash out the plans.

Sheerness Town Council is already on board and has allocated some of its reserves to help.

Independently, it has commissioned a new Welcome To Sheerness metal sign and gantry to greet visitors stepping off trains. The original gantry disappeared many years ago.

There are also plans to reintroduce street lighting along the promenade to make walking at night safer.

Roger Truelove, leader of Swale council, told KentOnline: “We have been given high priority by the government, and funding, to set up a scheme. My view is that Sheppey has to be the focus.”

He said Islanders had been promised many schemes in the past which had never materialised but hoped the latest push would be more successful.

However, he warned: “Nothing is certain. But I think this time we have a very good case.”

The council must match-fund 10% of the budget and believes its redevelopment of the former council offices at Masters House in Trinity Road would cover the bulk of that.

There are hopes Sheppey College, run by East Kent College, will take over the council’s car park in Bridge Road to expand.

The veteran Labour leader, who turned 77 earlier this month, moved to Swale in the 1970s to teach at the former Sheppey Comprehensive.

He went on to play football for Sheerness East and cricket for Minster and has been a Swale councillor since 1987.

“Some people say I don’t care about the Island but that’s nonsense,” he said.

“The problem is, Sheppey has so often had hopes dangled in front of it which have been dashed.

"And people on Sheppey know Swale is spending £23m on Sittingbourne town centre. So it seems right this bid should go to Sheerness.

“Besides, it is more likely to be successful because it desperately needs economic growth, regeneration and better transport links.

"The government is concerned about coastal areas, small towns and areas cut off by a lack of transport. Sheppey and Sheerness tick all the boxes.”

But he warned: “We won’t know if we have been successful until April. And then we will only have until 2025 to spend the money. If we are not successful we would still try to do as much as we can ourselves.”

Swale council, of course, does not have a good track record of winning bids for Sheerness.

Two previous attempts to get National Lottery cash to redevelop the derelict water tower site, which remains an eyesore, were thrown out. This time, officers hope better consultation with the public will swing the vote.

Cllr Truelove said: “Nothing is set in stone. We have an open mind and want to hear from everyone.

“But there is a need to rebuild the leisure centre and pool. We believe the seafront needs to connect with the town.

"We hope more people will be attracted to Sheerness because there will be something to do and then go into the town for lunch or shopping.

“Regenerating Sheerness will benefit the whole of the Island. We want Sheerness to become a better commercial centre for Sheppey, to encourage the visitor economy and to bring back a pride in the Island.”

He has already spoken to Phil Crowder, the chairman of the Sheerness Town Team, who had “lots of good ideas” and Tommy Holland who runs the amusement arcade at Beachfields park.

Cllr Truelove said: “Tommy just wants something done. He’s been told of plans so many times but they have never come to anything.”

He said Gordon Henderson, Conservative MP for Sittingbourne and Sheppey had been “fully briefed” and was “on board” and added: “This should not be political. It should be all of us working together to make a genuine improvement on the Island.”

Mr Henderson said: “As the council says, the bid is centred on Beachfields in Sheerness and I will continue to work with them. However, it will have a knock-on benefit to people across the Isle of Sheppey.”

He added: “I can assure you that whatever the final bid looks like, Swale council will have my full support and I will be lobbying hard on behalf of my constituents to ensure it succeeds.”