Kent County Council has said the decision to reinstate the parking spaces at the new youth club in Deal has created “a funding pressure”.

The council wanted to cut the parking spaces out of the plan to keep the project within budget.

The cost of the youth centre, located next to Tides Leisure Centre in Park Avenue, is £998,400. Dover District Council, which owns the land, has contributed £200,000.

County councillors Mike Eddy and Eileen Rowbotham presented the case against cutting the parking spaces approved for the centre at a planning meeting two weeks ago.

The committee agreed, by a vote of 13 to three to reject the application to lift the requirement.

But developers say the need to find extra funding for the parking spaces could mean more delays for the hub, which was scheduled to open in spring.

However, KCC says it is confident it will open in the summer.

A spokesman for KCC’s education and young people’s services said: “This decision to reinstate the parking spaces has created a funding pressure for the youth hub, and we are now working hard to confirm the investment necessary to complete the project as planned.

“The build programme is running slightly behind schedule because of unforeseen issues with the ground conditions, but we remain confident that the youth centre will be ready this summer.

“In the meantime, the nearby Linwood Centre continues to operate and offer services for young people, and there will be no break in provision between this centre closing and the opening of the new hub.”