DETAILS of the town redevelopment plans were unveiled yesterday among claims the process has "misled" the public.

Councillor Brendan Murphy says the new "masterplan" includes significant changes which could anger residents, and who should have been consulted sooner.

He said: "I am concerned about a lot of things. The cinema has been moved, as has the community hall.

"This is not an environmentally sustainable project, and is only in line with minimum regulations.

"It is not original, there is nothing which makes it unique. There will not be enough car parking.

"The process has been misleading and shrouded in a spurious cloak of confidentiality."

He also voiced concerns over the potential sale of developer Wilson Bowden by Barratt Developments for £2.2million.

He said: "I think all these factors put the town plan at risk."

The outline planning application for the multi-million pound redevelopment will be submitted this autumn, kick-starting a 16-week decision period, including public consultation.

In the new plan, Debenhams at Park Green is the anchor tenant of the retail transformation of the centre, covering an area from Castle Street to Park Green, bounded by Mill Street and Churchill Way.

It will also see a multi-screen cinema on Churchill Way, opposite a new town square.

A new street will be created which will link the existing Grosvenor Centre to the square, and there will be a new community hall built adjacent to an enhanced public realm space at Park Green.

The MBC spokesman said: "The revised plans will hopefully benefit the shops currently located in Dukes Court with new links into the main retail mall."

But, despite assurances "most" of Dukes Court will survive, it remains unclear how much of the area will be affected by the works.

Councillor Jamie Macrae, who heads up the Town Centre Development Advisory Panel, admitted the plan had taken longer than anticipated, but added: "The progress has not compromised the timetable.

"The developers are due to start on site in 2010/11 and the good news is that the changes will result in reduced construction time."

And a Wilson Bowden spokeswoman said the planning application will actually show them making better use of the site. She said there was more of a leisure focus, retaining key elements of the brief from MBC.

She added: "We will be holding further meetings with those parties affected by the changes, and will detail the plans and images in a newsletter to coincide with the planning application."

The masterplan, once finalised, will be published later this summer.