More than £200,000 of public money is to be spent on kick-starting the regeneration of Sheerness.

Swale council has announced it plans to invest £205,000 – much of it to pay for consultants and specialist advice.

They will be charged with identifying a number of projects focusing on the town’s heritage.

The funds are to be divided four ways:

• £50,000 to go towards paying consultants to come up with a new plan for Sheerness and West Sheppey
• £50,000 for bringing in specialist advice on how heritage assets in Sheerness, such as the former military hospital on the mill site, can be developed
• £35,000 to commission advice on a Swale-wide plan for how to make the most of its heritage across the borough
• £70,000 for the Sheerness Dockyard Preservation Trust’s bid for Heritage Lottery Funding to restore the Dockyard Church.

Cllr Mike Cosgrove (Con), Swale’s cabinet member for regeneration, said the council wanted a “clear vision”.

“We want consultants to come in and have a look at Sheerness as a whole with fresh eyes,” he said.

“We are beginning to see more active investment and interest in the Island from the private sector than there has ever been before.

“We need to make sure these activities are all working towards a unified vision for the area, so we want to develop a comprehensive regeneration framework that will provide an umbrella for the different activities.

“I firmly believe that the key to unlocking the immense potential of Sheerness is through regeneration schemes that build on the strong heritage of the town and surrounding areas.”

Cllr Cosgrove, who semi-joked the former military hospital could be a site for a new grammar school, said he hoped the work to come up with the various plans would be complete by next summer.

William Palin, chairman of the Sheerness Dockyard Preservation Trust, said the trust was delighted the council had chosen to support the project with a £70,000 grant.

“This grant will help us unlock substantial funds from the HLF to whom we are submitting a major enterprise grant application for the repair and reuse of this key historic building in December.

“The Dockyard Church is a building of national importance and has been much neglected over the last decade.

“Our new trust, having now taken ownership of the building, is determined to push through a landmark restoration project to give the people of Sheppey back a building which will contribute to the cultural and economic regeneration of the Island.”

Cllr Cosgrove said the church needed to be a “flexible space” for community use.