Plans to transform the head of a historic creek into new waterside apartments have been placed on hold.

The scheme to build 187 new homes at Lloyd’s Wharf at Milton Creek, behind Sittingbourne Retail Park, was deferred due to concerns that it would cause further traffic issues in the town centre.

Swale council’s planning committee withheld their consent at a meeting held on Thursday, (December 5) due to the access to the new estate.

Under the proposals, drivers would have to enter part of the nearby shopping outlet and then use the roundabout off of McDonald’s and then through The Wall, which runs behind KFC.

A new road will also be built within the estate so traffic does not have to use the Mill Skate Park entrance.

But Sittingbourne Retail Park director Darren Sherlock said that this would create a “traffic conflict” between drivers wanting to visit the outlet and those wanting to get to the Wharf.

He said while the park is supportive of the plans “in principle” they should not go ahead to its “detriment”.

The retail park has offered the developers, Essential Land, a section of its rear service route so that a route could be built from Crown Quay Lane.

Meanwhile, Cllr Tony Winckless (Lab) called for a site visit so members could see how traffic would work.

The representative for Milton Regis fears the plans in their current form would lead to further “traffic congestion”.

His motion was seconded by Cllr Paul Stephen (Swale Inds).

Cllr Ann Cavanagh (Lab) also raised her objections to the plans which were that no affordable homes are being offered at the development which she compared to luxury apartments seen on The Thames, in London.

The member for Borden and Grove Park said the committee “should not be entertaining” the plans without the allocation.

She pointed to the council’s current affordable homes emergency which was declared in April.

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If approved the plans would end a decade-long regeneration project.

It would be the final piece in the redevelopment of the town's former mill which closed in 2007.

The project has included the building of Morrisons supermarket and 150 homes in Mill Way, both of which are finished.

Essential Land, which is behind the work, bought the site for £5.65 million in 2010 and lodged the proposals for Lloyd’s Wharf in August 2022.

The vision included four apartment blocks – the tallest being nine storeys – overlooking the creek and comprising eight studio flats, 80 one-bedroom flats, 78 two-bedroom flats and 11 three-bedroom flats.

The plans also include 10 three-bedroom townhouses, 260sqm of commercial floorspace and 104sqm of community space.

There would also be 95 car parking spaces.

Separately, but nearby, maritime heritage community company Raybel Charters has permission to use Swale council land, which sits in front of the Essential Land development.

The project was set up in 2018 to restore a Thames sailing barge named Raybel which was launched in 1920, just a few hundred yards from today's site – named after Edwardian newspaper proprietor Edward Lloyd who owned the Lloyd’s Weekly newspaper.

The barge was brought back to the town in 2020 and, following repairs, it was relaunched during an open day in May.

Around £600,000 has been spent on restoring Raybel and it hoping to raise £15,000 in a four-week campaign to pay for the final works – a re-rig of new sails and internal revamp.

For every pound which is donated, the group will match it. Previously funding has come from the Heritage Fund, Swale and Kent County Councils, the Swires’ Trust and Queenborough Fishery Trust.

To view the group's donation page click here.

It also runs the Dolphin and Raybel Museum which had been at Dolphin Yard – an old Victorian sailmaker’s loft – since 1961 before it burnt down in 2008.

It was rebuilt in 2019 and now hosts exhibitions and offers spaces for groups to learn about both the project and Thames sailing barges.

But the group has also drawn up plans for cultural regeneration, with Raybel as the centrepiece of any future project.

The group hopes to use her to hold arts and cultural events once she is fully furnished inside.

Gareth Maeers, co-founder and director of the group, explained the idea was always “more than just the barge” and the group is “very open” to ideas from the council, community and businesses.

He said previously: “The plans for this place are unlimited – we could have a little café, we've got a wonderful building which could be a place for exhibitions and art events. It has huge promise.”

At the moment there is a workshop and a dry dock where a lot of the Raybel restoration work has been done.

The group has no affiliation with Essential Land.