HOTELS, shops, restaurants and a swimming pool are all planned in a multi-million pound redevelopment of Exeter's bus station.

The city council wants the site to have quality leisure facilities as well as new homes to boost the city centre.

Consultations over the proposals will be held shortly prior to a planning application being submitted.

Council leader Pete Edwards said it had always been the vision of the ruling Labour group to redevelop the bus station following the transformation of Princesshay.

But he said the two schemes must be distinctive.

He told the Echo: "I have always favoured having the pool in the city centre and we are hoping for other leisure facilities there as well.

"If you just put in another Princesshay both would suffer. We want to add to what we have got, not just provide more of the same.

"We want the two developments, along with the High Street, to complement each other. You will be able to move easily from one area to the other and it will be a natural continuation."

He added: "This is really exciting for Exeter. We want to make it a place that will give people a whole day experience – it will be a place where families can spend a whole day and stay on into the evening.

"For example they could go to the Royal Albert Memorial Museum, then shop, go swimming and then stay in town for an evening meal."

One idea is to use the natural contours of the site to create an open space in the form of an amphitheatre.

Cllr Edwards added: "We could use this space to provide some wonderful entertainment in the evenings – the whole will make Exeter a real fun place to be.

"We want to get Exeter into the top 25 of the strongest city centres in the country. This would make Exeter the strongest regional shopping centre and would protect the city from some of the downward trends now being experienced elsewhere in the country. John Lewis is the first phase in this plan – it will pull into the city greater spending power. We must capitalise on this momentum."

Developer Land Securities is working on a feasibility study for the site. The principles require a mixed use development.

Cllr Edwards added: "I would wish to see plans for quality hotels on the site and some of the shop units to be let to high-end retailers."

Restaurants will also play a big part in the new development, encouraging people to stay in the city centre into the evening, in what will be a network of streets leading through into Sidwell Street, Princesshay and High Street.

As with Princesshay, there would also be flats above the units.

The new area will stretch from Paris Street to Summerland Street over a site which is three acres larger than Princesshay.

Many of the existing buildings are poor quality, post-war constructions and the area has long been identified as in need of redevelopment.

One option would be to have a new pool as the landmark building adjacent to the Paris Street roundabout.

It would replace the ageing Pyramids pool.

The site will remain home to the city's bus station, as a collection and drop-off point.

But the buses will be parked in another part of the city overnight.

The cost of the scheme to the city council is around £20m. One way of funding it would be through Tax Increment Finance, which allows local authorities to borrow on the basis of how much will be raised in business rates from a new development.

City MP Ben Bradshaw said: "This would be an exciting next step for Exeter. The Sidwell Street and bus station area have long been talked about as being in need of major modernisation and it would be a sign of business and investor confidence in the city in a very difficult year."