An entrepreneur who masterminded a new co-working space billed as Kent's "mini Silicon Valley" has scooped a national property award.

Sanmi Adegoke, 38, has been named as one of the first black recipients of the Entrepreneur of The Year award at this year's Property Awards in recognition of his work in Dartford.

His Hill Hub development opened in the town centre earlier this year and saw the former West Hill Police Station and Magistrates' Court transformed into a new co-working space and cafe for freelancers and start-ups.

Sanmi fended off stiff competition to scoop the award at a ceremony held at the Intercontinental hotel at the O2 in Greenwich last month.

It rounds off a successful year for the young entrepreneur and his team at Rehoboth Property who managed to deliver the project despite the challenges presented by the pandemic.

And within less than a month of opening, it had fill more than a quarter of its spaces.

Sanmi first started behind the grill at a local branch of McDonald's flipping burgers before eventually working his way into the property development sector and striking million-pound business deals.

He first spotted a gap in the market for faith groups struggling to acquire suitable buildings and decided to take the lead on development conversion projects and create purpose-built sites to serve church clients.

The Hill Hub development in Dartford marked his next move into the tech and small business field as part of a project he billed as Kent's "mini silicon valley".

A key aspect of the business plan is to offer funding opportunities and expertise to start-up businesses, especially post Covid-19.

The project also teamed up with Kent Foundation, a charity offering free business advice and mentoring to young entrepreneurs and business owners in the county aged 30 and under.

Sanmi is also keen to address barriers to minority ethnic groups in the business sector and advocates the importance of creating "a level playing field" in all his dealings.

Speaking after his award, he said: “If I can, you can. As a man thinketh in his heart so his he therefore, if you can think it you can certainly be it.”

The awards are sponsored by publication Property Week and judged by a panel of industry experts.