A MULTI-million pound leisure development has been held up pending a potential legal challenge.

Colchester councillors were set to approve the scheme for the Northern Gateway, including a state-of-the-art cinema and leisure facilities last night.

However, the plan was removed from the meeting agenda of planning committee at the 11th hour.

It followed a legal opinion sent to Colchester Council from the Tollgate Partnership, which wants its own leisure and retail scheme, Tollgate Village at Stanway.

Tollgate originally lodged an objection to the Northern Gateway scheme in May, claiming its developer Turnstone had “failed to undertake an appropriate sequential assessment of land at Tollgate West”.

But council planning officers issued their report, recommending the scheme be approved, leading Tollgate to seek further legal advice.

The legal response was submitted to the council on Monday. The opinion concluded: “Should the council proceed to determine this application...its decision will in our view be liable to be quashed in judicial review proceedings.”

Tollgate Partnership directors Daniel Watts and Jayne Gee said their Tollgate Village proposal was not a rival scheme to the council’s Northern Gateway which, they claimed has been “fast-tracked to bring it before councillors prior to the Tollgate Village planning appeal”.

“Tollgate believes our booming borough is big enough for Tollgate Village, Northern Gateway and a thriving town centre to co-exist.

“The company is, however, determined to ensure Northern Gateway is subject to proper, rigorous planning procedures and scrutiny.”

A Colchester Council spokesman said: “The item has been withdrawn following a late representation. We need more time to see the matters raised.

“They are technical planning issues raised by the Tollgate Partnership. Our hands are tied.”

Turnstone managing director Chris Goldsmith said the council did not want to take the plans to council until it had assessed the representation. He added: "We hope they will take it back to council in the near future so Colchester can get what it has been asking for some time - a major leisure centre on the northern gateway site.”