Maidstone looks set to get a huge new out-of-town M&S store at Eclipse Park.

Planning officers are recommending approval of a proposal for a a two-storey building with a gross internal floor space of 7,808 sq metres - despite its being contrary to the council's own "town-centre first" retail policy.

Officers said the retail giant had considered five possible town centre locations - including the former BHS store in the Mall, the Powerhub off St Peter's Street, and the King Street car park - but each had been dismissed as unsuitable - and the borough's own retail consultants agreed.

Most sites were too small for what M&S had in mind. The Power Hub, as a listed building, would be too costly to convert. The only possible contender was the redevelopment of the area around Maidstone East Station and the former Royal Mail Sorting Office.

But the council conceded that it could not foresee that redevelopment going ahead until at least 2023 - and M&S wanted to open its new premises in 2020, ahead of the expiry of its lease on one of its two existing stores in Week Street.

The company's lease on the ladies store runs out in 2022. The firm owns the freehold of the men's branch and says it will continue to keep that building open to maintain a town centre presence.

Planning officers admit allowing the out-of-town development will have a detrimental effect of trade in the town centre - it anticipate a 2.8% fall in total turnover, a figure it describes as "not significant."

It also hopes to obtain £300,000 from M&S to improve aspects of the town centre by way of mitigation.

The application will be considered at the Town Hall tonight (Thursday). The owners of both The Mall shopping centre and Fremlin Walk and the business group One Maidstone have objected as has Medway council which fears the pull of the new store will weaken trade at its Hempstead Valley Shopping Centre.