Southend Council is set to pull the plug on £33 million plans to build the Swine rollercoaster at the end of the town's world-famous pier.

Executive councillors have given businessman Tony Garner just six weeks to prove his financial muscle before the ambitious scheme is finally scrapped.

The move came after independent experts claimed the rollercoaster, unveiled four years ago, was a "non-starter."

Consultants Delloite and Touche stressed it was "very unlikely" the rollercoaster - one of the biggest in the world - could ever be funded.

They said it would be difficult to raise more than £10million to plough into the project - despite estimates of £33million to build it.

Council leader Charles Latham said: "Both councillors and officers have been left reeling by the news in this report from Delloite and Touche, especially as a great deal of time and effort has gone into the preparatory work for the rollercoaster scheme.

"However, as we agreed with Mr Garner at the beginning of this year that he would present his final scheme and evidence that he had the funding in place by August 4, he must be given the opportunity of addressing the shortcomings identified by the consultants, by the original deadline date.

"We are clear that whatever agreements are made between the council and developers must be in the interests of the council and the town and this is what we are looking to have proved."

According to the consultants' dossier:

There was insufficient evidence of either a feasible and substantiated business plan or of adequate funding to allow the project to proceed

There were concerns about a conflict between the market for the ride and existing visitors to Southend

Key assumptions in the business plan were out of step with comparable market information

David Garston (Con, Southchurch), executive councillor for regeneration, was sad to see the project go because developers and council officers had put so much effort into it.

Mr Garner will now be given until August 4 to demonstrate the scheme's viability and that funding is in place.

Southend Council today (Wednesday) confirmed it would take legal action to reclaim the former AMF bowling alley site on Southend Pier.

Southend's Tory cabinet yesterday backed new moves to snatch back the platform, which has been at the centre of a lengthy dispute between AMF and council officials.

Southend Council now hopes to incorporate it into a wide-ranging blueprint shaping the future of the entire pier and foreshore.

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