Developers planning to close and demolish a seafront crazy golf attraction have offered to build a new one - but claim council officers have vetoed the idea.
Family Amusements wants to use the site of its Adventure Golf attraction in Sea Road, Felixstowe, for a £4.3million project featuring flats, including holiday apartments, and new tourism facilities on the ground floor.
The company, which also owns an arcade on the seafront and the town's pier, has generously offered to pay for and build a new replacement golf attraction on the seafront on land opposite.
But East Suffolk Council, which owns the land, an area of gardens between the promenade and roadside flood wall, has apparently declined the offer.
In documents submitted to the council as part of the planning application for the holiday flats, Robert Allerton, architect for Family Amusements, said: "The applicants have engaged with East Suffolk Council to facilitate, at their expense, a replacement new golf attraction in addition to the already planned leisure uses at ground floor of the building.
"This would have been constructed on the unused sea front 'garden' land opposite and been accessed from the promenade.
"Regrettably, East Suffolk Council have declined to allow any development on this land despite having no clear or defined plans for the use of the land and the entire cost of the proposals being born by the applicant."
No-one was available to comment from East Suffolk Council on why the offer had been declined - or what plans the authority has for the land.
Last year proposals were put forward to use the site for a large Ferris wheel attraction but these were later withdrawn. There were a number of objections from local residents to the idea.
The council has plans to use other parcels of land along the prom for a beach hut village and also a multi-use games area.
Family Amusements says its Adventure Golf - which opened in 1997 - has suffered a drop in use in recent years and has high maintenance costs and is nearing the end of its working life.
The new three-storey block of flats would feature 16 flats with shops and cafes on the ground floor.
There has been a mixed reaction to the proposals from conservation group the Felixstowe Society, Felixstowe Town Council and residents.
Robert Allerton said: "These proposals represent a considered response to the redevelopment of a now redundant facility at the end of its life. Moreover, the proposals are a sustainable use of brown field land creating homes, employment and leisure, all of which are key ingredients to a successful development in this location."
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