WINCHESTER City Council is today able to abandon the developer of the Silver Hill scheme.

Civic chiefs are facing calls from campaigners to drop TH Real Estate, the firm behind revived £150 million proposals to redevelop a chunk of the city centre.

June 1 marks the expiry of a 'long-stop agreement' between the parties, meaning either can walk away provided they have fulfilled their side of the bargain.

There is no indication that city bosses want to start afresh.

City officers are legally obliged to analyse submissions over the project's financial viability which, if accepted, will send the scheme 'unconditional'.

Meanwhile, Henderson Global Investors has sold its shares in the developer, meaning it will now be known as TH Real Estate.

Investment giant TIAA-CREF, which previously held a 60 per cent stake, announced a full takeover today.

The Winchester Deserves Better campaign against the scheme, led by Cllr Kim Gottlieb, has launched a fresh 'Say Goodbye to Henderson' initiative.

“It’s at critical status," Cllr Gottlieb told the Chronicle. "The council needs to make a bold decision. Nobody likes the 2009 scheme – even Henderson themselves have said it’s not their preferred scheme, so why should we let it just happen because we haven’t got the wit and the originality to think it through a bit more carefully?

He added: “We’re not shy of resorting to further legal action but I very much hope sense will prevail and people realise they have the ability and power to do things without this legal nonsense.”