A GOVERNMENT minister has praised the £400m Queenborough and Rushenden regeneration scheme.

It is hoped the project will create 3,000 jobs and 2,000 homes.

Aldi has already confirmed its new regional headquarters and distribution centre will be built on the site.

Investment from other major firms is also expected.

There will be a 180-berth marina, healthcare facility, school and sports hall to be developed over the next decade.

As part of wider Thames Gateway investment, it will bring employment to the Island, which the Gateway Community Centre is paving the way for.

The centre is offering residents IT skills training and forklift truck courses in advance of investment in the new development, which will have one million square foot of business space.

Contracting firm Birse started work this summer on the £8m, 1.2km, Rushenden link road from Neats Court at the A249, crossing two new roundabouts and the train line joining Queenborough railway station and Swale Holt.

This will require the creation of an eight-metre high bridge.

The road will ease congestion in the area and allow traffic to travel from the A249 to the Cullet Drive industrial estate without using residential roads.

The Under Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Shahid Malik, visited Rushenden link road.

He said: “I’m very impressed by what I’ve seen and the operations that are taking place here.

It’s only when you see a site that you can appreciate it and meet those who are bringing it to life.

“This is a real partnership between the public and private sectors which I know Swale Borough Council, the South East Development Agency and MP Derek Wyatt have been working very hard on.”

Nick Young, senior project manager at SEEDA, said: “It’s really going to make a difference to the area with companies like Aldi being involved, with around 300 jobs being created with that.

“This is going to be of major value to the local community and this scheme is an example to many other places up and down the country.”