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Sheerness clock tower is to get a major makeover as part of a long awaited spruce-up for the town.
The Grade II Listed 36-foot tall tower which was built out of iron in 1902 at a cost of around £360 to commemorate the coronation of King Edward VII was last restored in 2002 to celebrate the silver and golden jubilees of The Queen.
Now Swale council is planning to give it a face-lift with a new coat of paint, LED floodlights and repairs to its plinth and crown.
There were discussions about replacing the concrete "Worrall Balls", named after former Cllr Steve Worrall and which are at the base of the clock, with something "more in keeping" with a Conservation area.
Initially, money from the revamp is coming from the £100,000 of Section 106 'developer' money which Swale council was given to spend on Sheerness when Neats Court retail park was opened in Queenborough.
This will be added to as part of the council's newly launched Town Centres Project which has been set up to improve all of Swale's three main towns.
Monique Bonney, who is in charge of Swale council's economy and property portfolio, discussed her plans to a combined meeting of Sheerness town council and Sheerness town team members on Wednesday.
After hearing complaints about how neglected Sheerness looked, she said: "It is heartening to hear that you share my own concerns. The town has such a wonderful history but it is deplorable it has been allowed to get into this state."
She said the clock tower was the focal point and needed investment. The work is part of a larger job which will include painting all the town's bollards, lamp posts, benches and barriers are repainted in the town's official colour of Marine Blue. It is expected to start in the spring when the weather warms up.
Cllr Bonney said she wanted to track down the attractive original lanterns which once hung from the clock tower and appealed for anyone to help find them if they still existed.
Matt Brown, chairman of Sheerness town council, welcomed the news but warned the top of the tower would need major repairs as the iron work was "just hanging by a wing and a prayer" because of "significant corrosion."
He added: "I hope this meeting is really productive as the frustration people are feeling is becoming more evident. We need some really transformative projects underway."
Cllr Bonney said she was "appalled" by the state of the derelict water tower and said the council was investigating enforcement measures. Hoardings have since gone up around the eyesore in Trinity Road.
The meeting also discussed of possibility of permanently pedestrianising the High Street and a scheme put forward by the town council to make the sea wall at Neptune's Terrace more accessible for wheelchairs, bicycles and buggies.
Work has begun on building a new war memorial wall carved from Portland stone for the Island. A digger has been levelling ground around the Liberty statute in Bridge Road, Sheerness, opposite the train station.
Sheerness Town Council has put £30,000 towards the groundworks to ensure it will be accessible for wheelchairs. The rest of the money is expected to come from Swale council and Peel Ports. Sheerness council chairman Matt Brown said: “I am so proud of this.”
The old surface has been removed to make way York stone slabs. The new wall behind the cenotaph will display more than 1,000 names of Islanders lost during two world wars.
The project has been led by Swale, Minster and Sheerness councillor Peter MacDonald for the Sheppey War Memorial Trust with assistance from Sheerness councillor Chris Foulds who helped obtain planning permission and listed building consent for the work.
Sheerness Town Council has also invested in a new information panel at the entrance to Beachfields park.
