RADICAL proposals have been put forward to get rid of a clifftop road – and turn the area into a public park.

If the project went ahead, Hamilton Gardens in Felixstowe would be erased from the map and residents of the street would look out to sea across a new open area of greensward and plants.

Traffic would be sent down Brownlow Road, which runs parallel, as an alternative route.

But instead of being welcomed, the imaginative project has caused uproar – with the town council saying it is “vehemently and strongly” against the suggestion and the mayor calling it “a rubbish idea”.

Guy Gredley, director of Landro Ltd, which is soon to start a �15 million-plus projech to convert Cliff House to flats and build a new block of apartments alongside, says he submitted the planning application for the park to “kick-off a debate”.

He said: “I think there is a fantastic opportunity here to be creative, to regenerate the seafront and attract more visitors to Felixstowe.

“Of course this would benefit the developments my company is proposing, but I think there is long-term gain here to benefit the whole town.

“It may be there isn’t overwhelming support at the moment, but I wanted to kick-off debate and see what people think.”

The town council’s plans committee though says Hamilton Gardens is an important local traffic route and the proposal of stopping up the road is “completely untenable”.

Councillors were also worried about the loss of on-street parking – Hamilton Gardens is used by town centre employees and Spa Pavilion show-goers – and said more spaces were needed, not less.

Mayor Doreen Savage said: “I think it is absolutely ridiculous – a rubbish idea.

“The flats at Cliff House and the land alongside will not have enough parking, and then we would lose all the spaces on Hamilton Gardens. It just wouldn’t work.”

Mary Wyatt, chairman of the Felixstowe Town Centre Residents’ Association, said: “Our concern would be the car parking which would be lost – those cars will have to park somewhere and it will mean them parking in other streets around the town centre, making it harder for residents.”