Plans have been unveiled for a £1.5 million revamped conference centre at the county showground.

Kent County Agricultural Society confirmed the go-ahead for the project during the Kent County Show which attracted thousands to the Detling site.

The show basked in hot weather, attracting many more visitors than last year's rain-affected event. Many flocked to see camel racing. VIP guests included Dame Kelly Holmes and Environment Secretary Owen Paterson,

The new structure will replace the existing Kent Pavilion building which was opened by the Duke of Kent in 2004.

While the project has been scaled down from original ambitious plans, it will maintain the Kent Event Centre as the largest conference venue in the county.

The new single span Kent Pavilion will be 44 metres wide and 72 metres long. It will seat between 3,000 and 4,000 people in theatre style and add to the existing Clive Emson Conference Centre which stages scores of events during the year, including the recent gala dinner for the Kent Excellence in Business Awards (KEiBA).

Work will start in October and the new Pavilion will be officially opened at next year’s Kent County Show.

Glyn Charlton, the KCAS honorary finance director, said: “This is going to chance the whole place dramatically. The problem with the existing building is that when it’s windy, it’s too noisy, when it’s hot, it’s too hot, and when it’s cold, it’s too cold.”

Mr Charlton said the Clive Emson building, created from the former Stanley Cornwallis structure at a cost of £1.25m, was fully booked. “We think we can make good use of this new building as well for conferences, events and music.”

The project, funded by a Barclays Bank loan with some of it from the Funding for Lending scheme and a cashback arrangement, is to be built by Cardy. It will boost KCAS revenue and help to ensure the future of the Kent County Show.

Meanwhile, this year’s show was a scorcher, with soaring temperatures attracting many more visitors than last year when heavy rain almost washed out the show, leaving KCAS with substantial losses.

Show organisers said the first day’s visitor numbers were double those of previous years. The show also attracted £130,000 in advance online ticket sales.

Environment Secretary Owen Paterson, MP for North Shropshire, visited the show on Friday, talking to young farmers and discussing with producers the hot issue of the imminent end of the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme (Saws).

Paul Kelsey, of Kelsey Farms, Canterbury, was concerned, saying possible restrictions on migrant workers could affect output. He said seasonal workers were being mixed up in the immigration debate. He had this message for Mr Paterson: “Please understand our situation. We don’t have time to wait and see what happens if you don’t have the scheme for a couple of years. We need a solution agreed in the next few months.”

He said that 22% of imported food could be grown in the UK and he encouraged the young farmers to accept the challenge. “We want to galvanise more local production and get more bright young people into the business.” He praised Kent for maintaining its farming and horticultural heritage.“You are the Garden of England,” he said.