Is there some light at the end of the tunnel? The new year should see work finally get underway to restore the dilapidated Lowfield Street.

Residential developer Meyer Homes is keen to end years of uncertainty over the site after doomed plans for a Tesco superstore failed to get off the ground, and have taken a major step forward by submitting its first planning application.

Dartford council will be asked to green-light the project once people have been given a chance to comment on the application, which is being spearheaded by the promise of 548 new homes.

On-site parking, new access routes into Central Park, and the introduction of a microbrewery in Market Square are featured in the proposal, which was put forward after a round of public exhibitions and forums earlier in the year.

Meyer Homes director Jamie Pearson said: “We are delighted to have submitted a planning application that seeks to ensure the long-awaited rejuvenation of Lowfield Street.

“We have worked hard to ensure these proposals meet the needs of the local community by bring forward a world-class development on a site that has lay in waiting for many years.”

Tesco submitted four planning applications to Dartford council between 2002 and 2013, but pulled out in January 2015 as part of a nationwide cutback on new and unprofitable stores.

Hoardings replaced the beloved independent shops, the site has been left derelict, and Tesco sold the land to Meyer Homes in October last year.

Dartford Arts Network did their best to spruce up the hoardings with paintings and murals displaying the town’s landmarks, heritage and history, but the site remains a blight on the town.

Mr Pearson continued: “Our plans include high quality architecture, new public courtyards and open space, as well as improved access into Central Park.

”We would like to thank all those who attended the consultation events and the role that the local community have played in progressing the plans.

“We will continue to work with Dartford council and local stakeholders as the application moves towards determination.”

Meyer Homes hopes that the project will be given the all-clear to begin work in early 2017 and if everything runs to schedule Lowfield Street’s transformation should be complete towards the end of 2019.

You can comment on the planning application by heading to publicaccess.dartford.gov.uk and searching for reference number 16/01919/FUL.

For more on Lowfield Street, see Thursday's Dartford Messenger.