A town is to undergo a major regeneration project with the construction of 180 apartments, shops and a new public park.

Plans for the redevelopment of the former Royal Mail Sorting office site near Maidstone East Station in the county town were finally approved nine years after the scheme was first mooted.

Maidstone Borough Council will solely undertake the development.

Originally, MBC and KCC had jointly purchased the land for redevelopment back in 2015, with the idea of building a joint council headquarters building for both authorities there, but nothing materialised.

The local authority bought out KCC’s interest in 2022 and proceeded with its own plans.

All was not smooth going, however, as the council’s first planning application, which was for 217 flats in four blocks, was knocked back by its own planning committee last March as being too cramped.

The revised scheme, with one block dropped, has meant 37 fewer flats, but has enabled an increased public park area in the centre of the development of around one acre.

The application was approved without any element of affordable housing being required, although planning officers said it was the intention to apply to the Government quango Homes England for a grant towards building affordable housing, which, if successful, would enable 30% of the flats to be built as affordable.

Some councillors had previously asked for all the homes to be affordable, but it was said that would result in the project ending up £30m in the red.

The flats will be built in three blocks, one of six rising to seven storeys, one of eight rising to nine, and one of seven rising to eight.

Cllr Valerie Springett (Con) observed that since the site had initially been earmarked in the Local Plan for 500 homes, the approved design was far less dense.

The development will include 1,863 square metres of commercial space, but residents will be provided with only 156 car parking spaces.

The central park will be owned and managed by the council.

Council leader Cllr Stuart Jeffery (Green) said: “This redevelopment will form part of the council’s ambitious house-building programme.

“These are very exciting times for the council, and the town itself.

“We believe the project will be transformational to that area of Maidstone, bringing genuinely excellent new homes to the town centre.

“I am also pleased to see a large new open green space included in the design. It will play an important role in the wellbeing of the new residents and businesses.”

Demolition of the existing buildings on the site is almost complete.

Cllr Simon Wales is the cabinet member for housing and homelessness.

He said: “MBC will be acting as lead developer on the site and has already secured £2.1m of Brownfield Land Release Fund monies from the Department for Local Government Homes and Communities, which has helped fund some of the remedial works to prepare it for redevelopment.

“Now that the planning permission is in place, the council can approach Homes England as to the availability of Social Housing Grant monies to help fund much needed affordable housing on the site. We are also discussing the inclusion of a health facility with the local NHS.”

Cllr Wales said: “The next steps are to procure a contractor for the works, and to refine and finalise the tenure mix for the project, with a view to the build getting under way in around 12 months.”

The sorting office closed in 2013.

Find out about planning applications that affect you at the Public Notice Portal.

Details of the approved scheme can be viewed on the borough council’s website under reference number: 23/504552.