A DUTCH takeover of a Kent building firm promises to create more than 100 new jobs in the county.

Denne Construction, part of the Denne Group and based in Borden, near Sittingbourne, has been sold to Heijmans in a deal worth around £17million.

Under the deal, Denne Construction joins J B Leadbitter, the Dutch firm's UK construction arm based in Oxford.

Both are family firms with strong regional reputations. Leadbitter is a well-established company with annual sales of £180million. With Denne turnover around £60million, the merger creates a £250million business in the UK. Both businesses specialise in social housing and education projects.

Denne Construction employs 136 people in Borden. Chairman and former sole owner Stephen Kingsman assured them that nothing would change. He would stay on as executive chairman, the management team would be the same, and the Denne name would be retained. "It is very much business as usual," he said.

He forecast that the sale would help Denne Construction double its turnover and boost staff numbers. "We’re looking to take on at least 100 people," he said.

The move was essential to enable Denne to exploit opportunities in the construction industry, he said. Denne’s continued growth depended on the backing of a company with deep pockets, and the Hiejmans/Leadbitter tie-up fulfilled that aim.

Denne was recently named preferred bidder for two large PFI projects - Stanhope regeneration scheme, Ashford, and a Kent County Council care home initiative.

Mr Kingsman, 53, added: "Instead of having a sole private individual as their shareholder with limited resources, the company now has a shareholder with over a billion-euro balance sheet that will enable them to take on much larger projects and grow substantially."

He said he was excited about the deal because it was right for the business and right for his staff. "Although I’m not in any way retiring now, I’ve got to look to the future of the business and make sure it moves with the times. That means we must be able to cope with larger contracts."

Bob Rendell, managing director of Leadbitter, confirmed there would be no redundancies. "Quite the contrary," he said. "We feel this will generate more opportunities and lead to more employment."

He was attracted to Denne because of its reputation, respect in the industry, good management team and employees. It also gave Leadbitter access to projects in the south east, the Thames Gateway, and the rest of Kent.