Developers have gone back to the drawing board and will showcase new plans for a four star hotel on a former power station site in Kingston this week.

The £60m Skerne Road development, which also included proposals for residential flats and a hotel run by the Moran Hotel Group, was rejected in October last year by Kingston Council after vigorous objections to its height, lack of three and four bedroom units and lack of affordable housing.

Councillors were also concerned at plans to locate all the affordable units in one block of the development.

Now, after a series of workshops with residents and stakeholders, and new architects on board, developers NHP are set to reveal their new plans at a public exhibition on February 15 and 16.

The main change is two lower buildings of five and eight storeys as opposed to the two towers of the previous plans which were, at their highest, 16 storeys high.

The revamped plans also include a redesigned riverside frontage, a central courtyard, six penthouses on the roof of the development and car parking spaces have increased from 10 to 12.

Philip Trim of developers NHP said: "We are extremely proud to present our new scheme to the public. We believe it offers an exciting and elegant new approach to the development of this key Kingston site. "

NHP confirmed the Moran Group are still on board to become the hotel operator should the scheme now find favour with planning chiefs, and they are still working with the council to provide as much affordable housing as possible.

Brian Godding, vice chairman of the Kingston Society, spoke against the hotel at the development control meeting where the scheme was blocked last year but said the new plans are "very impressive".

He said: "The Kingston Society is delighted with the low key, sensitive approach to the new scheme which respects its riverside setting and the neighbouring residential development.

"We consider it far superior to the previous proposal which met with almost universal disapproval."

Kingston town centre manager, Graham Mc Nally, said he wanted to see a hotel devleloped on the Skerne Road site.

"We want to see that site developed - it has gone on long enough," he said.

"NHP have worked really hard to meet the objections from local residents."

The exhibition is being held at the North Kingston Centre, Richmond Road, from 4pm to 8pm on February 15 and between 10am and 4pm on February 16.