Major plans to transform Basildon Town Centre, with big retailers, bars, restaurants and a multimillion-pound youth zone, are set to be revived by the Labour-led administration of Basildon Council.

Cllr Gavin Callaghan, Labour leader of the council following May's local election, insists regeneration and transformation of the town centre is a priority for him.

His administration previously drew up a huge masterplan which included an £8 million youth zone, up to 4,000 high-rise homes, expanding the town's Towngate Theatre with 170 more seats and building a restaurant there.

Now Mr Callaghan insists he will revive the plans and hopes to attract big retailers, bars and restaurants to boost the town centre.  

Cllr Callaghan says: "You will have read, or you will know that we have bought the Westgate Shopping Centre, that's been an enormous job of work, let me just say clearly buying the Westgate Shopping Centre does not mean council tax goes up.

"We bought Acorn House which used to be a council building and we turned into 92 properties, so we're looking at what we can do with the Westgate Centre.

"I am really clear I want the council to own as much of the town centre as we can so we are in control of the planning applications, we get to decide what goes there, we get to influence it so it's not just all about properties that local people can't get hold of or cant rent or cant buy and there are not the shops and amenities that we want.

"I want to see shops like Marks and Spencers return to the town centre, I want to see some independent shops, want to see more bars and restaurants coming to the town centre, I want to see a good nightlife economy, I want to see sports leisure all that sort of thing. So that is all happening in the town, we are master planning that at the moment.

"So between now and Christmas we will be able to start showing you the plans, what all of that is going to look like and then we will be able to put the planning application in and get on with it.

"The youth zone I am really clear we are bringing a youth zone to Basildon, it should be here already, it was scrapped, and I am bringing it back, we are going to have a planning application come forward this year, and we are going to get on with building that youth zone so we can crack on and give our young people aged eight to 19, up to 25 for those with special needs facilities in Basildon that they deserve."

It comes after Mr Callaghan revealed earlier this month that the council had purchased the Westgate Shopping Centre in the town centre for £18.5 million, and how he's planning on a huge arena for events with up to 5,000 seats.