Dartford is set to get its own cinema with a new hotel and doctor’s surgery as part of a highly anticipated development to transform one of the town’s largest disused sites.

The home of the old Co-op store in Hythe Street was occupied by dozens of travellers less than a fortnight ago, but it could soon house a six-screen cinema, which depending on the chain may be built alongside some big name restaurants.

Also on the menu is a hotel and a multi-GP surgery, which the borough council hopes will accommodate the amount of housing going up in the town centre.

Some 140 homes – a mix of one, two and three-bedroom apartments above retail uses and adjacent to the proposed car park facing Kent Road – are also part of the plans for what is known as the Westgate area of the town centre, which Muse Developments is working on at a cost of £75 million.

Alongside the cinema and restaurants will be bars and a new public square, plus additional parking for guests at the 109-bed hotel and residents.

Discussions are also underway with the local Clinical Commissioning Group to collaborate on the potential creation of a new health facility providing space for GPs, family healthcare, social care providers and mental health services.

Council leader Cllr Jeremy Kite (Con) said: “We are delighted to be working with Muse. So much of what happens in Dartford is developer-driven and the council rarely has sufficient ownership to shape the use of land for the benefit of local people.

“Westgate is different and Muse has an amazing track record of creating spaces that are not only commercially successful but also hugely popular with people. The council has an ambition to create modern spaces and facilities which enjoy a direct lineage back to our town’s strong sense of family and community.

“Muse also has a record of delivering creative schemes on time and of the highest quality. They instinctively understood the need to provide spaces with people in mind and their approach and background is refreshing.

“We drew ‘some lines in the sand’ such as the retention of the art-deco façade of the former Co-op store and the need for practical spaces and facilities for families. Cinema operators made a strong commercial case and urged us to find space for them as did mid-market quality hotel chains.

“For our part, the council also wishes to see a collaboration with local public health services to deliver new GP and health services to support our population.”

Regeneration will take place on the former Co-op site and surface level car park on Orchard Street.

Though part of the façade of the original Co-op buildings on Spital Street will be retained, other buildings that used to occupy the site have been demolished.

John Robinson from Muse Developments said: “It is an honour to have been chosen by Dartford council to lead on a project which will have such a positive impact on the town.

"The site is very well-connected, being close to both the high street and train station, making it the ideal location for a lively and vibrant new community and cultural quarter."

Orchard Street will become home to a public space enclosed by both residential and commercial units, linking directly to Hythe Street. A pedestrian arcade will also link the new town square with Kent Road as part of a trail of cultural and entertainment venues.

Muse Developments is looking to submit a planning application next summer and to start work on site in spring 2019, with a public consultation to run early next year.

A cinema was first mooted when the council unveiled its vision for regeneration of the town centre last year.