A LEADING Stockton borough councillor has blasted members of a group that opposed the Gateway project in Billingham

The Billingham Action Team held protest marches and the Save Our Theatre group collected a 10,000-name petition after Stockton Borough Council announced plans to demolish the town's Forum leisure and theatre complex to make way for a supermarket.

The plans were eventually halted when the theatre was declared a listed building.

Council officers have since revealed it would cost £24m to keep Billingham Forum viable for the next 25 years, with £9.1m needed to keep it open and compliant with health and safety regulations.

At a council cabinet meeting on Thursday of last week, Coun Barry Woodhouse said: "The leaders of the anti-Gateway groups should hang their heads in shame.

"Gateway, with a supermarket built around the theatre, would have brought so many improvements to the town, guaranteed the future of leisure facilities and provided much improved education and cultural amenities for Billingham.

"Funding must now be found, hopefully from a Private Finance Initiative. But if this is not forthcoming, then we face major problems or a massive hike in council tax."

Coun Woodhouse added: "The Billingham people will wake up to face the stark reality of the consequences of the Billingham Action Team.

If an unacceptable rise in tax is not imposed, or PFI granted and carried out, then it will be down to BAT leaders to explain why we have lost so much."

Frank Crosby, one of the organisers of BAT, accused Coun Woodhouse of using the past to further his election campaign.

He said: "They are blaming half a dozen people who only acted as advisers for the 7,500-10,000 people who said they did not want the Forum pulling down did not want the scheme in the park.

"Barry Woodhouse is quite simply trying to use this for election purposes.

"What he is dealing in is history; it's gone and we are not interested in it, apart from to learn from it. What we are interested in is the present and the future."

Stockton Council started consultation on the future of the town centre this week.

A team from Research Solutions began a two-week survey asking residents, businesses and visitors for their ideas and what they would like to see in the town.

Council officers will also hold public meetings for people to air their views.

Coun Bob Cook, cabinet member for development and regeneration, said: "During these early stages of consultation there will be many ideas put forward, some of which are bound to conflict with each other and some which will be undeliverable.

"However, we want people to put their views forward so we can get a broad spectrum of suggestions."

Mr Crosby said BAT welcomed the consultation and was backing the council's efforts.

He said: "We are going along with the new proposals, but they've got to get it right this time.

"There are a lot of people working to make Billingham a better place, and those people must not be let down.