Plans to create a parkway railway station in Thanet have taken a step forward.

An application for the proposed build has been submitted and people will be able to give their views.

The aim behind the station is to increase rail connectivity between east Kent, London, and the wider county area by providing access to mainline and high speed services.

The station would be on the Ashford International to Ramsgate line, south of the former Manston airport site and just to the west of Cliffsend.

It will be served by both mainline and high speed trains.

A Kent County Council spokesman said: “Poor accessibility in east Kent is one factor that has discouraged major employers from locating in the area, which serves to undermine regeneration and has limited the employment catchment.

“Long commuting times to London are often seen as a barrier for new business investment in the area and so improving connectivity is a vital step in unlocking development potential and attracting the necessary investment and job opportunities for local people.

“Thanet Parkway railway station will capatilise on the High Speed 1 services and the journey time improvement scheme to bring Thanet to around one hour’s journey time of London, thereby improving the perception of east Kent as a place for investment.”

The application is going through a period of validation before it is viewable.

“Once this is completed, people will be able to view and comment on the Kent.gov.uk planning site,” the spokesman added.

“Once validated, we will also notify all residents who requested updates on the project at the public consultation held last year.

“All residents affected by or in the immediate vicinity of the proposals will be contacted as part of the planning process as a matter of course.”

Public consultations were held in 2015, and from January to March last year.

Concerns were raised, such as user safety due to the station being unstaffed, and proposed road access.