THE public will be invited to have their say on the future of Silver Hill, Winchester's council boss has pledged.

Civic chiefs are set to welcome ideas later this year on how to reboot the £150 million scheme and what should be included.

Cllr Stephen Godfrey, leader of Winchester City Council, has not ruled out building the scheme approved in 2009, but said it wouldn't fit with plans he described as "Silver Hill Two".

"We don't want to be rushing ahead with any fixed ideas because we don't have any," the Conservative boss said.

"We want to take a break or pause, but we do want to make sure we don't miss opportunities to deliver something which people can get behind."

The new scheme comes after the council ended its contract with developer TH Real Estate and will start with public consultation in the next few months.

The council is sticking to the principle of comprehensive rebuilding, with shops, homes and parking.

But the authority could work with different developers on smaller parcels of land, Cllr Godfrey said.

Major building work is not expected to start for at least two years, but Cllr Godfrey has detailed immediate improvements planned in the run-down area.

Half of Friarsgate car park, facing St Clements Surgery, will be demolished and replaced by around 20 temporary open air spaces as a stop-gap before major development.

Coitbury House, the empty health centre on Friarsgate, requires £1 million repairs to meet NHS standards and could instead be refurbished cheaply for business start-ups, Cllr Godfrey said.

Asked whether he has ruled out implementing the 2009 scheme, Cllr Godfrey said: "It's not deliverable. I can't see that we would want it to be. It wouldn't fit with what we're planning with Silver Hill."

He added: "If we don't give enough time to bring forward these ideas from different sources, then we will just be implementing somebody's short term view on it and we don't want to do that."

Cllr Godfrey said the council will invite development bids on the open market wherever it can.

Anti-Silver Hill campaigner Kim Gottlieb, who has long backed a fresh masterplan for the area, said: "Development is a complex process. We really do need to think these things through. Having spent 20 years going around in circles and pursuing some ideas that haven't been successful, we would need to take the time to get it right this time."