Three national chains are set to open stores on the outskirts of Herne Bay - as plans to expand a shopping complex move a step further.

Kitewood Estates was last month given the go-ahead by Canterbury City Council to build four commercial units - and create 17 jobs - at Altira Business Park in Broomfield.

And now property firm Core Commercial has revealed City Plumbing, Brewers decorating centre and Toolstation will move into three of the premises, as it markets the last-remaining site.

Beltinge councillor Ian Stockley believes the arrival of the retailers - which have more than 1,000 branches across the UK in all - will trigger a wave of major names coming to the coast.

“It shows a confidence in Herne Bay that these three big players are coming here to invest money,” the Tory explained.

“The town has felt the pinch over the years, and this is diversifying the area’s offering so we’re not just relying on the weather to bring people here.”

Officials from Core Commercial say the units - which it asserts will be “high quality” - are scheduled to be built on the corner of The Boulevard and Margate Road by the spring.

Documents produced on behalf of Kitewood claim the new units will see the local authority receive £38,000 per year in business rates.

Cllr Stockley thinks there “isn’t a negative thing about” the Altira expansion.

“It already has Sainsbury’s and Screwfix,” he added.

“It’s already bringing people to the town who wouldn’t have otherwise come here.

“These three new units will help draw more firms in as well.”

The four-unit scheme approved in August is the first stage in Kitewood’s proposals to massively expand Altira.

It hopes to add shops, a self-storage centre, builder’s merchant and restaurant to the site.

McDonald’s bosses revealed in January they were vying to launch a branch - their first in the town - at the complex.

They claimed at the time the proposed restaurant would add 60 to 80 jobs to the area.

Kitewood also has its eyes on turning the dilapidated remains of nearby Blacksole Farm, off Margate Road, into a housing estate, with early drawings showing the plot could contain 70 homes.

The firm has not yet submitted a full planning application for this part of the scheme to the city council.

Both Altira and Blacksole Farm have been put forward for inclusion in the authority’s revised Local Plan, which will map out construction in the district until 2040.