A council leader last night blasted plans for an axed multi-million pound town centre regeneration project.

Cllr Roger Truelove (Lab), who leads the coalition in charge of Swale council, said at a full council meeting that phase two of the Spirit of Sittingbourne project would not go ahead.

WATCH: Phase two of town centre regeneration project scrapped

It comes as the council decided to end a development agreement with the consortium behind the improvements.

The buildings at Bourne Place - where an eight-screen cinema, restaurants and a hotel are based - will be completed.

A retail park with a Costa Coffee drive through, Iceland's Food Warehouse and Home Bargains, delivered as part of phase one, was opened in 2018 off St Michael's Road, Sittingbourne.

And a multi-storey car park is now partially operational.

But phase two, which was set to include more than 200 homes built on three council-owned car parks - Cockleshell Walk, Spring Street and Fountain Street - will not happen.

As part of the second phase of works Swale council's HQ, Swale House, was set to be demolished and move into new premises.

The agreement was originally reached by the former Conservative administration with U+I and Quinn Estates in 2012.

Cllr Truelove said: "My view has always been that the development agreement was not the best way to regenerate Sittingbourne as a town.

"It tried to do too much inside the confines of one project when a series of more specific plans might have been more productive.

"It was beyond the capacity of the council to deliver and so too much control was handed over to one developer partner.

"The council over the last seven years or so has been over-dependant for delivery on that one partner.

"This has made the process too slow with too many delays and, when it has come to the roadworks, frustrating and below expectations."

He added the change in policy will allow time to talk to residents about future plans.

"It gives us as a council, in consultation with the local community, the chance to take control again of how we want Sittingbourne to develop," he continued.

"It will be a relief to many residents that the high-rise flats will not be built. The council will now be able to use these sites in the best interests and needs of local people."

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