A town centre regeneration scheme could still go ahead even if its residential developer does pull out, its leisure stakeholder has claimed.

Gordon Aitchison, chief executive of Citygrove, which is responsible for securing several leading cafe and bar chains for the Westgate development, said the project may proceed without a housing developer if indeed Linden Homes did withdraw.

Linden Homes said on June 19 that it was “reviewing” its involvement in providing 131 flats for the scheme planned for land between Tesco and the Princes Hall. A spokesman confirmed this week that still no decision had been made.

But Mr Aitchison told the News that Citygrove and Rushmoor Borough Council had held “positive” meetings to discuss a viable way forward for Westgate.

Options on the table include finding a new housing developer or the council taking a more direct financial stake.

“I have had a couple of meetings with the council as to the way forward for the scheme but I suspect that there will not be a residential element to Westgate at the current time,” Mr Aitchison said.

“I think that several housing companies are feeling the pinch but we are fully committed to this project.

“If we do not have a housing developer we will look to move forward without one.”

Citygrove has also secured Cineworld to operate a planned seven-screen cinema, and High Street eateries Pizza Express, Nando’s, Real China and Frankie and Benny’s.

Council chief executive Andrew Lloyd remains optimistic that Aldershot will get the leisure scheme it has been promised for a decade.

“The situation is that we have a very high quality cinema operator in place working with a very committed developer and an extremely supportive council cabinet,” he said.

“We are working very hard to find a way of making this financially viable in the possible absence of a significant housing injection.

“We are looking at a range of options. Unfortunately I can’t go into too much detail but we are not discounting any of them or committing to one at this stage.

“It would be premature to be specific but nothing that we have discussed has been ruled out or guaranteed, but we have got to keep our focus.”

Mr Lloyd said that if Linden Homes did pull out stakeholders could explore the possibility of linking with another housing developer when the market did eventually pick up.

“I don’t think even the national housing experts predicted what would happen so suddenly with the market,” he added.

“There has been a difficult, vicious and sudden downturn nationally. When you look at the newspapers it seems that not one day goes past without stories of housing companies getting into difficulties.”

Mr Lloyd urged political parties not to use Westgate as a method of point scoring against one another.

“It might be becoming a political battle that could undermine the scheme,” he said. “What we need now is consensus and support to help steer the project through these difficult times to boost confidence in the private sector.

“If they feel that the council is in disagreement it will not help the situation at all. We have to be courageous and determined.”

Mr Lloyd spoke out against those who felt that the project could have started earlier.

“It is a very complicated process with very many parties involved,” he said. “We are fortunate to have Citygrove on board. Westgate is being driven by the public and private sector and it is in nobody’s interest for Westgate to be delayed.

“The developers, as any-body, are anxious for that first sod to be turned.”