City planners will tonight decide whether to give the go-ahead to the £25 million redevelopment of the defunct Debenhams store.

The new owners of the site in Canterbury want to turn it into 12 new retail units on the ground floor with 72 flats above and rebrand it the Guildhall Quarter.

Clague Architects have drawn up eye-catching designs of the scheme first revealed in September which they hope will get the approval of the city council's planning committee when members meet at the Guildhall at 6.30pm tonight.

The proposals have been largely welcomed across the city with business leaders saying it will revitalise the shopping experience in Canterbury.

But some conservationists have expressed reservations about the upper extensions to the building.

Among the speakers tonight is expected to be the boss of the Canterbury Connected Business Improvement District, known as Canterbury BID.

Its chief executive Lisa Carlson will urge councillors to give the scheme their blessing, calling it "one of the most exciting developments the city has seen in many years."

In the BID's formal response she says: "We support this planning application because it aims to repurpose oversized retail space into more viable and appealing spaces for both independent and national retailers."

The council's own planning officers are recommending approval and if the scheme gets the go-ahead as expected, architects Clague say they will get started on the project as soon as the store closes for good on Sunday, January 19.

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