THE owner of Adventure Island was the private investor interested in splashing out £20million on revamping Southend Pier before negotiations broke down, the Echo can reveal.

Philip Miller’s company Stockvale wanted to extend its seafront empire, which currently stretches from Sea Life Adventure, in Marine Parade, to Sands Restaurant, in Western Esplanade.

The businessman said his failed attempts to negotiate a deal to extend Sealife Adventure was the main reason he withdrew from the pier scheme.

He said he also had concerns about a lack of parking on the seafront, particularly as the Seaway car park is set to be developed into a leisure complex.

The council is now setting up a local authority trading company to invest the £20million into the pier over the next five years, which will be financed by borrowing.

The authority argues it will recoup the costs over time.

Mr Miller said: “The fact they are building on the largest car park that serves the seafront is poor forward planning. The message it sends is only to curtail investment.

“The main reason not to go ahead with the pier however was because I wasted two years and far too much money trying to wade through the treacle of dealing with the council officers regarding the Sealife deal.

“I took the view that if we couldn’t negotiate a relatively simple deal like the Sealife extension, what chance was there of putting something as complex as the pier together?”

Council leader Ron Woodley said the main sticking point in the Sealife Adventure deal was that Stockvale wanted the freehold of the Adventure Island site.

Mr Miller said that was a “small part of the discussion” which would have helped “manage the risk” of major investment into the landmark.

Southend Council wants to put a new building at the shore end of the pier, and also modernise the railway, and Mr Woodley said Mr Miller’s vision was in line with the authority.

However, he accused the businessman of "using every excuse in the book" after the negotiations broke down.

He said: “There is no way we would have any intention of giving up the freehold of a prominent seafront site as 50 years down the line, who knows what could be built on there.

“It was not about parking because he knows we are building a 200 space car park in the cliffs under the proposed new museum.

“Phil didn’t want to continue and he is using every excuse in the book to justify his position.”