Controversial plans to turn Colchester's famous Jumbo water tower into a "fish tank on legs" have been ditched.

Two schemes put forward by Plater Claiborne Architecture and Design involved converting the listed Victorian tower into modern living space on five different levels.

And both proposals would offer the public breathtaking views over Colchester through special access to the top.

Under one scheme all four sides of the water tank would be removed and replaced with glass. The other proposal was to have just three sides glazed.

But Colchester Council's planning and traffic regulation committee have now scrapped both plans, after being advised by planning experts to grant conditional approval.

At the meeting Brian Light, of the Save Jumbo Campaign, branded the Jumbo proposal as a "fish tank on legs".

He said removing the water tank from the old water tower would make a mockery of Colchester's claim to be a premier heritage town.

Simon Plater, the architect who devised the scheme, said the building was so important it must be preserved, adding his design was the most viable way of doing so.

Today (Friday), architect Simon Plater said they had not decided whether to appeal.

He said: "We are sad that Colchester did not take the opportunity to have public access to Jumbo, or to preserve it."

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