HUNDREDS of people have visited a display of redevelopment plans for Kendal’s Canal Head area.

Gilbert Gilkes and Gordon, the company behind a £130million project to transform a 20-acre site, is staging a public consultation.

Proposals for the 20-acre site include:

* 200 new houses
* a 100-bed hotel
* 650 car parking spaces
* 5,000 square metres of office space
* several retail stores.

An extension to the canal, a new bridge over the River Kent and a walkway to link Kendal Castle with the town are also proposed.

Managing director Charles Crewdson said aerial views and artists’ impressions had created a lot of discussion’ and questionnaire forms had been printed for residents eager to express their opinions.

“Most people seemed keen on the plans but now we’ll read the responses in more detail,” he said. “If there is a key theme in the comments we will try to respond in our designs.”

Mr Crewdson said the plans would create up to 500 new jobs on a site that desperately needed regenerating.

“Our company cannot stay in our current building any longer - we need larger, more modern premises or we will have to move out of the area. We’ve been looking for a new site for more than four years.

“We’ve tried to incorporate some of the Georgian buildings and more historic elements of the area and our plans include elements that will benefit all of Kendal. There will be town centre parking and the northern tip of the canal will be rejuvenated and turned into a more vibrant part of the town.

“It’s a massive project and we want to invite people from the town to come and see our drawings and tell us what they think.”

Mr Crewdson hopes the public will be prepared to donate £2m towards the scheme through public bodies to provide the finishing touches but added that the plans could go ahead without this additional funding.

He said: “We’re hoping that if the plans are accepted by planning we can have diggers on the site by 2012.”