Maidstone council has granted planning permission for the Brownfield Land Assembly Company to begin work on a site made up of old office and factory buildings on Maidstone’s Tonbridge Road.

Ten new apartments will now be built on the site.

Brownfield stepped in when individual plots of land failed to sell on the open market, despite the overall site being ideally suited for housing with its position close to the town centre and train stations.

The affordable apartments will be designed and built to strict Homes and Communities Agency guidelines. Each home will be compliant with the agency’s space standards and will meet the criteria necessary for Lifetime Homes and Building for Life accreditation.

Additionally, the homes will be built to meet minimum Code Level 3 of the Code for Sustainable Homes making them some of the greenest homes in Maidstone.

"As an agency, the HCA tends to concentrate on larger scale developments in helping to create new homes and communities within the south east," said David Ashworth, regional director for the HCA.

"We are, however, acutely aware of the opportunities offered by smaller pockets of land and therefore have been delighted to fund the Brownfield Land Assembly Company. The development at Tonbridge Road is an example of just what can be done to overcome obstacles to sustainable development."