A cash boost of £25,000 has been earmarked for a major economic regeneration project in a seaside town.

Tendring District Council (TDC) is committing the money to help pay for the preparation work for the scheme at Walton.

A total of £165,000 is needed to get the Lost Town sculpture off the ground. The East of England Development Agency (EEDA) has promised to fund half the amount and efforts are being made to raise the rest from elsewhere.

Essex County Council has been approached for funding and Frinton and Walton Town Council is also backing the initiative.

The Lost Town Project was first unveiled about four years ago and it is hoped that the private sector scheme will go for planning permission next year.

Part of the aim of the project is to explain the impact of coastal erosion and the forces that control it by rebuilding the lost church of medieval Walton as a steel sculpture out at sea.

Les Double, Portfolio Holder for Regeneration at TDC, said he expected the 41 pile structure to have a significant impact.

"We believe it will help regenerate both the town of Walton and the region in general by bringing in tourists and acting as a catalyst for investment," he said.

"The Lost Town Project will also be visible from Harwich and Felixstowe and will become a symbol for the whole Haven Gateway area. We are pleased to be able to support its development."

The sculpture was one of the winning schemes of the Landmark East Competition initiated and run by EEDA to generate ideas for a major landmark.

The total cost of the project is expected to be around £4million and it will take about 18 months to construct.

It is being led by German architects Anne Niemann and Johannes Ingrisch - a young partnership which has already won accolades for its creative thinking and designs.

Lost Town will also be a poignant symbol of the ongoing impact of coastal erosion and climate change, raising awareness of global warming and sea level rise.

Walton was chosen as a site for the sculpture as it shows a massive example of coastal erosion on the Naze and has a history of land loss.

David Lines, Leader of TDC, added: "This exciting scheme scores on many fronts not least the fact that Walton needs regeneration and new development. It is classed as an urban regeneration area and an initiative such as this is a step in the right direction."

TDC's Cabinet recently had a presentation on the Lost Town Project from Roger Evans, Chairman of the Walton Forum, which is also involved in the scheme.