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By Hayley Robinson

A cinema complex and ten pin bowling centre could be built in
Sittingbourne as part of a £30 million development at the old paper
mill site.

London-based property firm Essential Land unveiled the leisure
facilities in its outline proposals for the site, off Milton Road,
when it launched the start of a public consultation yesterday.

The plans also include up to 200 homes focusing on family-sized
accommodation, a retail superstore providing food and non-food
items, a community building and museum to commemorate the history
of the Paper Mill.

There would also be improved links including new cycle and
pedestrian routes alongside Milton Creek and improved access
between the site and the town centre, the full reopening of the
Sittingbourne and Kemsley Light Railway service plus a waterside
park alongside Milton Creek transforming the old docklands into a
destination for local people and tourists.

Leaflets about the proposals, consultation process and
forthcoming public exhibition in November will be posted through
letterboxes over the coming weeks and residents will also be asked
to complete a questionnaire.

Pages on the social networking sites Facebook and Twitter have
also been set up so participants can interact with the consultation
team by taking part in online discussions, post comments and
contribute to surveys and polls.

People can also visit a dedicated website to take part in the
consultation process.

All of the feedback received will be reviewed and where
appropriate incorporated into the planning application.

Scott Hammond (pictured), partner at Essential Land, said,
"We are providing a thorough consultation which both encourages and
facilitates participation.

"With a strong focus on leisure we wanted to engage with younger
members of the community that are less inclined to write letters or
attend exhibitions and are confident that social media will enable
us to do so."

The mixed use development at the old paper mill site is expected
to create 300 construction jobs and a further 400 jobs once the
site is completed.

While the vision for the site is subject to receiving planning
permission from Swale council, Scott Hammond, partner of Essential
Land which owns the site, says he is confident the development will
go ahead.

Speaking exclusively to the Sittingbourne Messenger he said: "We
wouldn't have moved into this acquisition with private money unless
we felt it was deliverable and commercially viable.

"We are obviously dependent on getting planning permission.
Without it we cannot do anything with the site. We own the site, we
are not subject to third party ownership or negotiations, we own it
outright and on that basis we have to move forward and deliver it,
we can't afford to sit on it."

A number of parties have already shown an interest in setting up
shop there. "We're at a fairly advanced stage with one party and we
should be able to reveal who that is in the next few weeks," said
Mr Hammond.

Demolition work has already began at the site and assessments on
flooding and noise as well as an ecology survey have also been
carried out.

Scott, who was born in Canterbury and whose parents live in
Faversham where he attended Queen Elizabeth's Grammar school, said:
"I know the area very well, it's got good commuter links to London
and it's missed out on a lot of regeneration that's come
forward.

"We have done some local canvassing and with our presence on
site we've had some feedback. We've also attended local engagement
forum meetings. Residents want to see something happen. We are
hopeful they are going to engage with us and help us bring forward
an exciting project to do the job for the local economy.

"The consultation will be ongoing up until the application is
submitted either towards the end of the year or beginning of next
year.

"We are excited to get to this stage to engage through the
consultation exercise and really hope the local community chooses
to get involved with us."

Essential Land bought the site from Finnish paper company
M-Real for £5.65 million in June.

To find out about the scheme and participate in the
consultation, visit the website www.sittingbournemill.com/future
ConsultSittingbourneMill on Facebook and ConsultSM on Twitter

What do you think? Post your comments below or email the
newsdesk at sittingbourne@thekmgroup.co.uk