A public inquiry will be held by the government to decide on plans for a multi-million-pound waterfront neighbourhood.

The scheme, known as Northfleet Harbourside, was called in last Thursday (February 13) by the Secretary of State for the Department of Communities, Homes and Local Government, Angela Rayner, to the planning inspectorate.

Outline planning permission was granted by Gravesham council in April for the project - almost two years after plans were submitted in October 2022.

To build the £40 million scheme the existing buildings on the almost 50-acre brownfield site will be demolished while Galley Hill Road and Stonebridge Road, in Northfleet, will need to be realigned.

A retail village of around 40,000 sq m of shops, cafes, sports facilities, a nursery, medical services and community venues will be built in its place.

It will sit alongside a hotel, 3,500 homes, 18,000 sq m of office space, 2,600 parking spaces and a new 18,000 sq m football stadium with up to 8,000 seats.

This will almost double the capacity of the existing football ground, known as the Kuflink Stadium, which can currently hold 4,769 fans, and it is said it will secure the club’s long-term future.

However, the scheme has been criticised as it brings uncertainty for the companies already operating in the area, with some facing the likelihood of their premises being compulsorily purchased.

There are numerous businesses, from wholesalers to concrete suppliers, with warehouses, showrooms and workshops and workers in PPE, on the industrial estate off Stonebridge Road.

In July, more than half of the firms operating on the site signed an open letter to the Secretary of State calling for the government to block the plans.

It was also supported by the Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce’s chief executive, Tudor Price, who said a “forensic examination of the proposals” was needed before a final decision was taken.

Speaking at the time, Gravesham council’s cabinet member for strategic environment, Cllr Shane Mochrie-Cox, said it was still the local authority’s intention to submit the application to the government for consideration.

It was referred by council officers in November and the Secretary of State has since decided to call it in meaning a public inquiry will be held.

A spokesman for Northfleet Harbourside, said: “We welcome the decision by the Secretary of State to call-in this application.

“The application received unanimous, cross-party support when determined by Gravesham council’s planning department.

“We look forward to the inquiry and very much look forward to delivering the combination of much-needed new homes, job creation and many other facilities for the local area.”

The decision to call-in the plans has also been welcomed by the Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce.

Mr Price added: “While we recognise and support the government’s ambitions for growth and delivering new homes, this should not come at the expense of the 40-plus companies already on the site, many of whom depend on the River Thames for their economic livelihood, and the hundreds of people they employ.

“Northfleet Harbourside presents an existential threat for most of the local businesses and must be reconsidered in order to remove the threat of land being compulsory purchased and companies evicted from their premises with nowhere else to go.

“It also has major implications for the economic future of the Thames as we believe the council has failed to safeguard one of the last remaining protected wharfs on the river, which is the lifeblood of many local businesses, especially those involved in supplying building and road materials.”

A provisional date of May 20 has been set for the inquiry.

Councillors, neighbours and football fans alike previously backed the scheme which received more than 300 letters of support and only 35 objections.

To see more planning applications and other public notices for your area, click here.

Currently only outline plans have been approved meaning the council has agreed the development is sound in principle.

Specific details on the layout and design of the development will have to be decided through further planning applications.

It is predicted construction work would take about 10 years.