IT is the leisure landmark which lit up Southampton on its arrival just 19 years ago.

But Leisure World could be bulldozed to make way for a massive new conference centre and live venue.

The complex on West Quay Road has been unveiled as the site where council chiefs want to build a rival to Bournemouth International Centre.

It is the latest piece of a masterplan to turn Southampton into the "capital city of the South" and could boast a hotel, restaurants, flats and public space.

Southampton City Council leader Simon Letts was on site yesterday to set out his vision for the centre, which would attract star bands and comedians as well as political and academic conferences.

He said: "Southampton has a rich history and industrial past, and it now needs to be a modern, vibrant European city and the capital of the south of England."

Comparing the planned centre to London's O2 Arena, he said it would link with other developments to turn the waterfront into a "vibrant public space rather than being a collection of streets bombed by the Luftwaffe and reconstructed after World War Two."

He added: "Leisure World's looking a bit tired now.

"That, as a flat site, has a certain value but there's got to be potential for redevelopment there."

Warehouses off West Quay Road currently used by John Lewis could also be flattened to make way for the centre. All the land is council owned.

Cllr Letts said costs would run into the "hundreds of millions" but some parts of the project could be bankrolled by the £1bn Solent devolution deal, with restaurants and retail helping to fund the conference facilities.

Council officials will analyse the scheme's feasibility over the next nine months, with formal plans coming together before the end of 2017.

It is hoped the scheme would open alongside the £450m Royal Pier development, currently slated for 2023.

Leisure World opened in 1997 and was billed as the biggest pleasure complex of its kind in Western Europe.

At launch it boasted Jumpin Jaks live music bar, Hotshots bowling, nightclubs Diva and Ikon and what was then Odeon's biggest multiplex in the UK.

It is hoped current tenants like Frankie and Benny's and Oceana nightclub will move into the scheme before Leisure World is demolished.

A spokeswoman for Oceana's parent company, The Deltic Group, said: "We are committed to staying in Southampton and as yet there are no plans to relocate.

"It's great to see so much investment in the city and we look forward to continuing to be part of the vibrant leisure economy."

It is unclear whether Odeon would maintain its 13-screen multiplex in a new location, with a 10-screen cinema set to open in the West Quay Watermark development. Odeon was unable to provide comment before the daily Echo went to press.

A spokesman for Frankie & Benny's said it was "too early to say" whether it would stay in Southampton. Grosvenor Casinos declined to comment while a spokesman for Ask Italian was unavailable last night.