Good progress is being made on moves to spruce-up an area of Felixstowe seafront which tourists and residents have branded an eyesore.

Plans will be revealed this autumn to demolish the derelict yacht pond and former go-kart track and crazy golf sites behind the resort’s leisure centre – unused and decaying for years – and create extra parking and an area for outodoor events.

Details of the proposals developed over the past year were shown to Suffolk Coastal cabinet members after exclusion of press and public – necessary because the report explained projected costings ahead of a formal contract tendering procedure.

TJ Haworth-Culf, cabinet member for customers, communities and leisure, said she was delighted that at last such good progress was being made over an area which had been a problem for so long.

She said: “It was not possible to take any action up until now because we had been expecting the area behind the leisure centre to be used as a compound for the building work on the new pier.

“Now we have come to a different agreement with the pier owners, we can move forward on the boating lake proposals, which will be good news for everyone.

“Now the aim is to get the project done as quickly as possible. The cabinet agreed an option presented by officers and the next stage will be to go out to tender.”

More car parking in the seafront area was “desperately needed” to offset some of the impact felt by residents and provide more off-street spaces for visitors.

She added: “We want to make it an attractive, flexible area with space that can be used for events such as Christmas markets, exhibitions, fairs – all sorts of events to bring in extra tourists and help the economy.

“We really hope people will grasp the idea and make good use of the site to organise events.”