SITTINGBOURNE is at the heart of a science jobs revolution after controversial plans were unveiled.

The proposal would see an extra 5,000 jobs at Kent Science Park (KSP), a £60million road between the M2 and A2, 5,000 new homes, and community facilities such as a school, healthcare centre and leisure facilities.

KSP is already a thriving hi-tech business community with 1,000 people working for successful companies in cutting-edge bioscience and chemistry.

The multi-million pound scheme would take up to 20 years to complete.

It would transform farming land around Bapchild into a new community of several thousand people. Housing and a new road are seen as critical to the proposal and the sale of land for homes would release at least £60million to enable the private sector to fund the road.

The scheme has already come under fire from residents worried about the scale of change.

They were given a chance to look at updated proposals at a public consultation in Sittingbourne on Thursday. They have until August 4 to make their views known.

Andrew Bull, European director of LaSalle Investment Management, the owner of KSP, spoke at the meeting.

He said: "This is about creating employment in Swale, high-quality jobs."

He said the scheme would put Sittingbourne on the international map as a centre of scientific excellence, boosting salary levels and the overall prosperity of Swale.