THETHIS is the final designs for a £4m "Superchurch" in Hythe.

Catholics on the Waterside hope the church will get the planners' blessing.

Impressions of The Church of the Resurrection will be displayed at an exhibition and submitted for planning approval at the end of the month.

Multi-award winning architects Fielden Clegg Bradley have designed the building to reflect the meaning of Christ's Resurrection which is at the core of Christian belief.

Experts say the design is sympathetic to its surroundings and the shape will represent an empty tomb in keeping with the Easter message. Outside will be a six metre empty cross, made from wood from nearby Hythe Pier.

The eye-shaped building will feature impressive 30m spires representing Christ's accension into heaven. The scheme will include a pastoral centre for meetings.

The structure will be built on a one-acre site next to the former West Cliffe Hotel.

Parish priest for Hythe Fr Ray Lyons said: "It should be very special. We are building it for the next 1,000 years not for the next ten. I expect it to become a listed building in its own right."

The current church - St Michael's in Hythe, built in 1965 - has a leaking roof, loose tiles, collapsed drains, a sunken floor and unstable windows. It lacks any community facilities.

The larger, 1971 St Bernard's Church in Holbury, can only seat 100. Outline planning permission has been given to demolish it for four bungalows. St Michael's site is likely to be turned into flats.