Two blocks of flats on the Stanhope Estate were demolished

Ashford Borough Council said it was now "all systems go" for the Stanhope Estate after a delay last year to re-tender the project.

The council said the decision left it on schedule to sign a 30-year agreement with developers by the end of March.

Shops will be demolished and the the commercial area redeveloped.

In what was described as the "lynch-pin" of Stanhope's regeneration, the Chrysalis consortium will remove the existing shops and pub and build new shops, a fast food outlet and pub as well as 58 houses and flats.

'Concrete and tarmac'

Councillor Neil Bell said the key element to the project was the relocation of Stanhope's commercial premises, and another feature of the application was the greening of the central area.

He said: "The proposal is to provide good quality open space in the heart of the community breathing life into an area currently covered in concrete and tarmac."

Plans to redevelop the estate, built in the 1960s, began in 2004 when two blocks of flats were demolished amid hopes that regeneration would improve the area.