There has been a mixed reponse to news Swale council has approved a £100 million regeneration of Sittingbourne town centre.

A special planning committee meeting held on Monday night gave the nod to a project which will see a seven-screen cinema built.

There will also be restaurants, shops and homes on land on and around the Forum shopping centre car park.

Island councillors Andy Booth (Con) and Adrian Crowther (Ukip) voted in favour of the plan.

It was voted through 12-5 with Labour totally opposing it over transport, housing, parking and viabity fears.

Cllr Booth, who represents Minster Cliffs, said he believed the revamp would also benefit Sheppey, providing top leisure facilites close by.

But speaking after the meeting, Queenborough and Halfway representative, Cllr Mick Constable, spoke out against the scheme.

He said: “I just think there’s a lot of money spent on consultations on that particular project. Millions spent on it with no results.

“There’s nothing actually been done yet and that money could have been better spent on the Island, in my opinion.”

However, Leysdown and Warden councillor Pat Sandle (Con) has backed the plan.

She said: “I don’t think it will affect Sheppey in a negative way. It will be closer than going to Strood or Maidstone for some of the leisure services which will be on offer in Sittingbourne.”

When asked if more funds could be made available to the Island, she said: “There’s a lot of money being spent around Queenborough and there are other things that could be done on Sheppey.

“But it’s all Swale, and you can’t do everything, everywhere.”

The cinema, opposite the train station and links to Sheerness and Queenborough, is expected to open in the summer of 2017.

Council leader Cllr Andrew Bowles (Con) said: “It’s the day that some of us have been working towards for over a decade and now we can finally start to plan for a real future for Sittingbourne. There were times when I thought I would never see it.

“I’m hoping for a lot more people bringing a lot more money into the town, more jobs for the young people. For all the people to be able to enjoy a social life in Sittingbourne.”

Supporting the scheme, Cllr Crowther said he was happy for Sittingbourne, but the council needed to look at Sheerness next.

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