A BUSINESSMAN fears he could lose everything if his plans to rebuild Canvey’s popular Corner Club are not passed.

Lee Petch, 45, wants to rebuild the club which was destroyed by fire last year, but it has emerged planning officers have recommended the proposals for refusal on grounds of flood risk.

The Canvey Club was among five businesses devastated when a blaze ripped through the industrial estate, off Canvey High Street.

Regulars have backed the plan to get the club back, and say they will protest if it is blocked by Castle Point Council.

Mr Petch, who co-owns the club with business partner Frank Bennett, 58, said: “I could be losing everything because of this decision through no fault of our own.

“I’m devastated. If it fails, I am looking at a lifetime of successful business being thrown down the drain. I think now it is time to fight. So many supportive people have said if it is a no they are going to try to bring Canvey to a standstill by blocking the one-way system. I have had a chap phone me up this morning in his eighties. He is absolutely livid.”

Council officers have drawn up a report which will go before members of Castle Point Council’s planning committee next Tuesday.

The report states the plans should be turned down on the basis of flood risk, disturbance to nearby residents, lack of parking and the fact the council has earmarked the Corner Club site for housing.

The Environment Agency has asked that, if permission is granted, then flood-proofing measures should be included and the council say it has not been given enough information about what would happen if there was a flood at the site.

Fifty firefighters tackled the blaze at its height in November last year.

Because most of the original building was destroyed, the club had to reapply for planning permission.

Regulars have held a rally outside the club to show their support, and submitted petitions to the council.