Closing Bognor Regis seafront would only be allowed if an acceptable alternative route is found, councillors agreed.
Arun District Council's Bognor Regis sub-committee members issued the demand as part of a wide-ranging series of recommendations about potential changes to the town centre.
The council's chosen partner, St Modwen Properties, wants to shut a sectio
n of The Esplanade in front of the Regis Centre.
The proposal to provide more leisure space is one of the most controversial aspects of the company's latest scheme.
The sub-committee said the idea was exciting, in principle, and to be welcomed.
But it would only go ahead if St Modwen could prove that an acceptable route for motorists into, through and around the town had been achieved.
The councillors also stated that any increase in flats from the 168 proposed for the seafront and 126 for Hothamton had to be justified by St Modwen.
The landmark 30-storey tower at Hothamton would also go ahead only if the company could show it was warranted.
A viewing platform should also be considered to provide the rare chance for residents to take in a vista which sweeps from the English Channel to the South Downs.
As for changing the shape of the seafront, as St Modwen radically suggested, this could only be supported if technical and engineering experts agreed with it.
St Modwen also has to show that a library within the Regis Centre would be better than the existing service.
The company is being encouraged to consider providing extra office space to attract new employers to the town centre in addition to the 25,000sq ft of offices allocated to the county council.
The councillors also stated their preference for a top hotel to be sited within the Regis Centre scheme.
The extensive list of requirements will be put to all Arun's councillors on March 3 for their approval.
Cllr Paul Wells (Bognor Hotham) said he was unhappy with many of the comments.
They were a further step towards a regeneration scheme which many residents did not support.
But St Modwen had also failed so far to provide any details to support their proposals.
"We could have quite a stagnant town centre in terms of people being able to get into it," he said in reference to The Esplanade closure.
But Cllr Ricky Bower (East Preston) said it was unrealistic to restrict St Modwen at this planning stage.
"We don't want to put them in too much of a straitjacket. We need to leave these matters with a degree of flexibility," he said.
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