WINCHESTER'S civic chief has said a bus station and cut-rate housing are "essential aims" of the £150 million Silver Hill development.

Cllr Stephen Godfrey has signalled his commitment to developing a city centre scheme including elements which had until recently been scrapped.

He also appeared to pour cold water on alternative drawings commissioned by conservation group Save Britain's Heritage, stressing the council should only think about options currently on the table.

Silver Hill's bus station and discount flats were controversially dropped in 2014 by developer TH Real Estate, then known as Henderson, because they were said to make the scheme financially unviable.

Now the developer is set to restore these elements as part of a project approved in 2009, despite question marks over whether Stagecoach will agree to run a new station.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Cllr Godfrey said: "The crucial issue – and the one that should guide our decisions – is whether any given scheme is the best for Winchester. This means a scheme that regenerates a run-down part of the city, provides affordable housing and retail opportunities, caters for public transport, delivers appropriate architecture, improves the public realm and – importantly – can be funded.

"For many years, redevelopment of the run-down Silver Hill area has included elements such as the bus station and affordable housing, replacement of existing retail space and car parking, as well as improvements to the public realm and retention of a city centre GP practice," he added.

"I believe that most people think these elements remain crucial and the council now needs to make sure that any proposal can deliver these essential aims."

Cllr Godfrey said he welcomes alternative plans commissioned by Save Britain's Heritage, which add a riverside path, cut the development's height to four storeys and reimagine the current bus station as a market bazaar.

However, Cllr Godfrey added: "This is not about whether one possible scheme is better than another. The only matter that the council needs to think about is what options exist right now to meet today’s needs. 

"I welcome all contributions to the debate but I make no excuses for promising that I and my cabinet colleagues will urge council to consider the whole Silver Hill site and all the reasons for redeveloping it, which include public transport, support for the local economy and practical issues of affordability and timescale alongside matters of aesthetics and housing."