A buyer will be sought for a former gasworks site which is set to be transformed into a housing estate.

Work to flatten the facility in Coombe Valley Road, Dover, is nearing completion after the demolition project was approved in 2021.

Now, owner National Grid says the land will be put on the open market later this year.

It comes as the plot has been identified in the Local Plan - put together by Dover District Council (DDC) - to host 80 homes.

Any new developer who takes the site on would need to submit their own planning application.

Documents from DDC state: "Land including the gas holder, Coombe Valley Road, Dover, has been identified in the emerging Local Plan.

"The site as shown on the policies map is allocated for an indicative capacity of 80 dwellings."

The redundant station became operational in 1868 but has been unused since 1940.

Dismantling of the gas holder started in November, with drone pictures taken by resident Mark Hamilton earlier this year showing the extent of the work already carried out.

The site, which is not currently connected to the power grid, would typically use diesel generators to power this type of operation.

But solar panels have been installed temporarily at the facility so that the demolition can be carried out in a more eco-friedly nature.

Brought in by contractors Erith Group, they are similar to those used on homes to generate 240 volts of power.

The panels charge up 35-kilowatt lithium batteries, used to supply clean energy to the offices and welfare rooms, and for all the security lighting around the site.

Bosses say the use of this environmentally-friendly equipment is saving tonnes of local Co2 emissions each month.

Samantha Rendell - the land regeneration manager at National Grid - added: "On sunny days, even in winter, the solar system provides all our energy needs.

"National Grid is committed to reaching net zero by 2050, and our site in Dover represents the excellent strides we are making towards achieving this target."

Once work is completed, the solar panels will likely move to another National Grid site in Golf Road, Deal.

Jeremy Bruce-Hudson, a manager for Erith, added: "I’m proud that we are able to use renewable energy in our work to dismantle the gas holder.

"The climate crisis is something we’re all aware of, and it means a lot to us as a team that we can clearly see measures to address it in our work, this is the future of construction."

On a separate plot of land in Coombe Valley Road there is a proposal for 40 new homes to be built.

The planning application has received backlash from residents who believe they will be left living "in a goldfish bowl", claiming the "prison-like" block of flats will tower over their houses.

The apartment building will reach four storeys in height, with neighbours concerned it will overshadow the small terraced houses in Victoria Street.