A LEADING figure in town centre management has claimed Clacton has “a lot of potential” to thrive.

Ojay McDonald, chief executive of the Association of Town and City Management, visited the resort on Monday and toured the town centre.

He then addressed a meeting of the Clacton Town Centre Working Group – set up by Tendring Council after Marks and Spencer revealed it was closing its store in Pier Avenue - about the challenges facing town centres.

Mr McDonald told the group turbulence among big name retailers, the growth of online shopping and the recession had all compounded issues for town centres – while a future challenge was to get young people using them so we do not “foster a generation that never uses a town centre”.

He said: “For Clacton there is a lot of potential. I know it’s not perfect, no town centre is.

“The retail market is not what it once was, but I look at the architecture and also the modern buildings, and some of them are really nice.

“The building blocks are in place – work is needed to get Clacton thriving but potential is vital and Clacton has it.”

The working group’s discussion focused on a potential bid to the government’s Future High Streets Fund, which town centres can apply to for up to £25million for to help re-shape town centres.

The group heard how successful areas would most likely get between £5million and £10million which could be spent on big infrastructure changes such as transport or property acquisition and amalgamation.

Mr McDonald urged the group to be ambitious and innovative, and to use evidence to inform their bid, if they wanted to stand a chance of being successful in what would be an extremely competitive funding pot.

Zoe Fairley, the council’s cabinet member for investment and growth, said: “It was incredibly useful having an outside perspective from someone leading in their field who could give a frank assessment of Clacton.”

“It is reassuring, and even exciting, to have it confirmed that Clacton has real potential.”

“Hearing about what we may need to include in a bid to the Future High Streets Fund, and just how ambitious we must be, really sparked some creative ideas and I look forward to exploring those with the working group further.”