A new community centre on the Meads Estate is one step closer to being built after a planning application was submitted.

The proposal, which includes a cafe and a multi-purpose space which could house a nursery, was handed to Swale council last week.

The Meads Community Trust has been pushing for a centre for years and now hope the £350,000 building can be opened in 2015.

In February, Coombs of Canterbury was announced as the contractor for the project, with construction funds coming from Redrow Homes and Baradon Properties via section 106 agreements.

Trust chairman Keely Magee said: “We are really pleased to have finally reached this important stage of the process. In the new year we will be in a position to give an expected completion and opening date - something the trust has been working towards for nearly three years.”

The design of the building is said to be one which will allow expansion if more funding becomes available.

When the idea about putting something on the site next to the Jenny Wren pub was first proposed, the aim was to build an “iconic” property costing roughly £1.4 million.

However, this idea was abandoned after the economic downturn squeezed financial resources.

More information about the project will be released as the planning process gets underway, with the trust expected to consult the public again in the coming months.