A Kent bus station could be closed and the site developed into a green public square if £22 million in funding is secured.

The reconfiguration of Folkestone town centre is all part of a plan drawn up by the district council as part of its application for government levelling-up cash aimed at rejuvenating so-called 'left behind' communities.

Council chiefs are targeting their efforts on the top end of the town, between the Central station and Sandgate Road, which is the first taste visitors have of Folkestone when arriving by train.

Under the plans, which were submitted to Whitehall earlier this month, buses would in future pick up and drop off on Middelburg Square alongside the Bouverie Place shopping centre.

The existing bus station, in Bouverie Square, would be transformed into an open space which could host events and be somewhere for people to stop and socialise.

Other parts of the plan focus on the redevelopment of Folca, the council-owned building which was previously home to Debenhams, and the rejuvenation of the key shopping precincts on Sandgate Road and Guildhall Street.

Folkestone and Hythe District Council (FHDC) is optimistic about its chances of securing £20 million from central government, which it will then top up with a further £2 million.

Cllr David Monk, the council leader, says the authority will have to deliver the work "at an absolutely frenetic pace" if funding is secured.

Any projects approved must be delivered by 2026 at the latest.

Central to the plans is the untangling of an over-complicated road network which creates obstructions to pedestrians attempting to access the heart of the town.

"Due to the legacy of Folkestone being a port, and having all the lorries, we have got these now massively useless traffic flows and the bus station in the middle there," Cllr Monk said.

"As you come in from the station it's pretty grotty coming down Cheriton Road into the town, so we decided that area needed looking at, as well as doing something with the bus station to make that a sort of public area.

"Working with Kent Highways, who have done a wonderful job, we have come up with a better road system.

"The real problem comes when you come to the bottom by the motorbike shop. That has got to be addressed because that really is a bad way into the town."

Making a better first impression on visitors disembarking from trains is set to be remedied by a revamp of Cheriton Road, with increased greenery and better signs to point tourists in the right direction.

Once people arriving into the town centre by foot and bicycle reach Middelburg Square there will be amendments made to the roads to reduce the speed of vehicles passing around the former Saga building and public car park

Ewan Green, FHDC director of place, said: "We're talking about planting, making it a lot greener. You capture rainfall as well, which means the biodiversity improves.

"Then we come to some big changes at Middelburg Square,. For example, these underpasses will be got rid of completely because they are just health hazards, but what you have to do is make sure pedestrians can cross really easily.

"So we'll slow the traffic down, you make the car become secondary. The principle is to make it a lot less dominant for cars and buses.

"What this scheme will do is encourage people to invest, that's proven if you get the transport links right."

The council expects to learn if the application has been successful in October.