Swale Borough Council passed plans last night for new shops and restaurants at the site immediately north of the town centre.

A new bridge for cyclists and pedestrians will also be built to the site of the old Sittingbourne Industrial Park which will include a Tesco Extra store plus an additional 11 retail units.

Jonathan Simpson, Tesco corporate affairs manager, said: “We’re delighted that Sittingbourne will get the boost to its town centre that local residents have told us they want, providing improved shopping facilities and better public spaces.

“Our successful track record of completing bespoke mixed-use, complex town centre schemes means we are confident that we can reverse the trend for over 70% of local shopping trips to be made outside of Sittingbourne and bring consumers back to spend money in the town.”