A new £48 million recycling and production plant is to be built at the UK's largest paper mill here in Kent as it enters its 100th year.

DS Smith in Kemsley, Sittingbourne makes a variety of paper and cardboard-based products at its site in Ridham Avenue.

Built in 1924, the mill, the second largest in Europe, has five preparation lines serving three paper machines.

In June, it unveiled plans to demolish two of the lines and replace them with a new one called the F-Line.

The proposal has since been given the green light by Swale council.

Costing £48 million, the development at the 2.4-hectare site is to bring a number of operational and sustainable perks to the business.

DS Smith says the project is needed to continue managing demand arising from the various paper machines being used.

A state-of-the-art drum pulping and screening system which more efficiently separates contaminants from fibre, such as plastics, will also be installed.

Head of paper and recycling at DS Smith, Niels Flierman, said: “Kemsley paper mill is an important part of our business and of the UK’s recycling capacity, recycling up to one million tonnes of paper and card every year.

“The installation of the new fibre preparation line will ensure that we can continue to make high-performing papers more efficiently while delivering on our medium and long-term sustainability goals”.

Further information prepared by DHA Planning on behalf of the mill, says: "The existing buildings are well past their lifespan and are not suitable for adaption for new manufacturing processes, so new buildings and structures are required to replace them.

"The proposals replace a redundant building and yard area with a new paper recycling and production plant [called] F-Line.

"The development will comprise a main building (Block A) accommodating the new plant on two levels to process the wastepaper to produce new paper products.

"[It] would create a number of sustainability benefits for the operation of the mill, including reducing carbon emissions, energy and water consumption, reduced waste and associated landfill and a lower chemical use."

The mill employs around 440 employees, although significantly more are on the books through contractor labour and suppliers.

The number of employees will remain the same following the approved plans.

The new equipment will also lower Kemsley mill’s freshwater use by more than 50,000m3 a year - the equivalent of 20 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

The mill also has an annual production capacity of around 830,000 tonnes, with all-finished paper products being 100% recyclable and sustainably sourced.

It comes just a year after the mill opened a new state-of-the-art combined heat and power (CHP) plant to save it nearly 40,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year - the equivalent of 30,000 medium-sized cars driving more than 6,000 miles.