TRADERS have put out a plea to the council to revive the town centre or watch them fail.

A number of town centre businesses, which formed campaign group “Yes to Gravesend”, called an urgent meeting with the council leader Mike Snelling on Thursday.

They were looking for reassurance that regeneration plans would still go ahead after its dramatic announcement that part of the scheme has been shelved last week.

Gravesham Council and Edinburgh House revealed that plans for a 32-storey tower in the Heritage Quarter had proved unpopular with some residents, and had received objections from English Heritage, and so would be scrapped.

However the rest of the application, for new shops, homes and town squares are still going ahead - and the town’s traders wanted to know when.

Kenny Tomkins, owner of KPT shop and office fitters in Gravesend, said: “We want to know from the council whether it is committed to the rest of the regeneration plans.

“Let’s get the rest of it moving to give everybody a bit of hope in the town.”

Cllr Snelling said the council is still committed to the plans and is working with partners Edinburgh House to look for an alternative scheme to the tower, while pressing ahead with the rest of it.

“We are still utterly committed to a partnership with them on this scheme,” he said.

See this week’s Gravesend Messenger for a full report on the meeting.