More information on the future of the leisure park redevelopment is expected within the next four weeks, according to the council leader.

Ken Rhatigan has said that the council are awaiting their development partner to come back with information on how the Covid pandemic has affected their plans to turn the area into a retail park.

But he said that the plans in their current form "couldn't come forward".

As previously reported, the £300 million scheme to redevelop the leisure park has been in the pipeline for several years, and was delayed first because of a legal challenge from the owners of Festival Place, and then because of the Covid pandemic.

Closure of non-essential retail for five months since March 2020 has led to a 21.5 per cent fall on the amount of clothing sales, and record levels of online sales.

Several big names have left the town centre in recent months, with Zara, Debenham's, Top Shop and John Lewis among the largest.

And a report by councillors, reported by The Gazette, revealed that the construction of a retail village at the 60-acre leisure park would poses a "significant risk" to the viability of the town centre.

Now, the council leader has said that his personal view is that the plans should be revisited.

Speaking to The Gazette, Cllr Rhatigan said: "A retail world in the previously envisaged form couldn't come forward, it would have to be altered.

"I have my own thoughts and everybody knows I would like to see some other options there.

"I believe people are looking for experiences and it should do what it says on the tin, it is a leisure park."

The Conservative councillor also added that he is expecting New River Retail, the council's development partner, to come back to them with more details on their future vision within the next three to four weeks.

"We are pressing New River Retail to come forward with some more visioning work done around a public statement about how the pandemic has affected their thoughts."