Shops at the Laindon Centre will be closed for more than two years if a scheme for the area's redevelopment is approved.
Under a time-scale laid down by the centre's owners, Lakehill Investments, demolition of the shopping centre would not start until next summer.
The revelation from the company will shock many businesses, who would be housed in a temporary area close to Laindon health centre during the reconstruction.
Lakehill Investments wants to knock down the centre and build 21 new shops, a supermarket and 138 new flats on the site.
The scheme has provoked anger from shopkeepers and shoppers alike, 100 of whom have signed a petition opposing demolition in favour of a refurbishment.
However, a spokesman for Lakehill said: "We are committed to improving the shopping facilities and the general environment around the Laindon Centre."
Published Monday August 2, 2004
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