Plans for £30m transformation scrapped by Southampton City Council

The council has ruled out the £30m Bitterne Hub proposal put forward last year

Multimillion pound plans to transform an area of Southampton have been scrapped by the council.

City leaders said they remain committed to investing in Bitterne but will look at what can be done with "less cost".

New proposals for the precinct area are being drawn up and could be unveiled next spring, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Opposition councillors said they were "deeply disappointed" and felt the east of the city is being "let down".

The £30m proposals for a new Bitterne Hub were unveiled last year by the then Labour-led authority.

They included plans to combine health, leisure, library and other community support facilities in one location.

But the scheme was reviewed by the Conservative administration, which took control of Southampton City Council in May this year.

Council leader Daniel Fitzhenry has now confirmed that the plans will not go ahead.

He said: "Labour's £30m Bitterne Hub scheme will not be proceeding but we are looking at what we can do for significantly less cost and ensure we meet the needs of local residents accordingly.

"We believe we can get much better outcome for much less investment and use that money to focus on other significant priorities such as repairing roads and pavements and investing in Mayflower Park."

He added that the council remains committed to investing in the area and making improvements.

Sarah Bogle, the council's shadow cabinet member for planning, said the £30m scheme should be considered on its merits.

She said: "We feel that the administration is letting down the east of the city. We are deeply disappointed that they are not taking these plans forward. I think they should re-look at the plans."

The move comes just days after plans for a transport hub in Bitterne were also scrapped by the council.