A LEADING Liverpool businessman last night accused Wirral Council of scuppering plans to build a top hotel and world-class restaurant in the borough.

Simon Matthews-Williams wants to spend £6.5m on a Holiday Inn and brand-name restaurant near the Royal Liverpool Golf Club, in Hoylake.

Last night he claimed Wirral’s "archaic" systems had forced him to mothball the scheme.

But Wirral Council insisted his "proposals have changed significantly and, as a result, must be reconsidered through the planning process as required by law".

Mr Matthews-Williams was revealed by the Daily Post/Echo as the man behind Michelin Award-winning TV chef Marco Pierre White’s three new restaurants in Chester and West Lancs.

It is believed that Hell’s Kitchen star White had already opened talks about extending this to the development in Hoylake’s historic King’s Gap.

Mr Matthews-Williams plans to develop the King’s Gap Court Hotel to serve golfers playing at the town’s Open Championship golf course, and for business and tourism visitors to Liverpool.

But he says Wirral council are refusing to allow him to make small changes to the scheme without going through the entire planning process again. He says the changes should be agreed in weeks through delegated powers. Instead, he claims the council’s stance will delay the scheme for up to a year.

He said: "It’s slipping way down my list of priorities. And it’s a shame for an area that is crying out for investment."

He added that the council were also demanding a separate planning application for the restaurant because it is branded separately from the hotel.

He claims the council is concerned a big-name chef brand has the potential to create traffic problems.

Mr Matthews-Williams represents a consortium that has invested £28m on developing the Doubletree by Hilton hotel and spa at Hoole Hall, Chester, and will spend £14m more on a boutique hotel to open in Liverpool’s Chapel St in 2011.

He described Wirral Council as "shambolic" compared to their counterparts in Cheshire and Liverpool.

He said: "In Liverpool you can see a planner in 48 hours – that’s how good they are – and Chester understands that tourism drives regeneration and they were absolutely brilliant in helping my investment. Liverpool and Chester have surged and surged.

"By contrast, Wirral are not proactive and their systems are archaic.

"Liverpool and Cheshire are can-do authorities, Wirral on the other hand is deterring entrepreneurs from coming forward. Hoylake desperately needs regeneration. If the council continue like this, it will become part-ghost-town, part-retirement complex.