Plans to build Kent's biggest Waitrose have been approved at a planning meeting tonight.

The high-end store, costing £14m, will create more than 200 jobs, joining the likes of Next and Hilton at Eclipse Park, near junction 7 of the M20.

Maidstone Borough Council's planning committee approved the full application with 10 votes for and one against.

Though other sites were reviewed, including Baltic Wharf on St Peter’s Street and the former Royal Mail Sorting Office site near Maidstone East, no sites were found to offer the same potential as the former park and ride site, owned by Gallagher Properties.

Kent County Council Highways raised concerns about increased congestion in the area, but later withdrew them, providing work was done to enable bus routes to serve the store.

The updated proposals include bus stops on Bearsted Road so shoppers can catch the existing 333 and 334 services.

This has been agreed with Arriva, but does pose problems in terms of decreased Sunday and evening buses.

There had also been questions raised about the potential effect on the existing Waitrose outlet at Allington’s Mid Kent Shopping Centre, which is half the size of the proposed branch.

However, a Waitrose spokesman said: “The proposed foodstore serves a different catchment to Allington Park, and analysis suggests there would be limited overlap of trade between the two locations.”

It is estimated that construction will take nine months, plus a two-month internal fit-out, and the store is not likely to open until spring 2018.