A housing developer has bought more land to increase the number of new homes it is building as part of a town centre's regeneration.

A further 88 apartments will be built as part of the Copperhouse Green site in Dartford which already has planning permission.

The development by Bellway London is already earmarked for 556 new homes.

The new parcel of land is located at the southern end of the existing development off Vauxhall Place and east of Lowfield Street near Fairfields Leisure Centre.

In February, councillors authorised powers to issue a compulsory purchase order (CPO) to acquire the former DA1/Talk of the Town nightclub – located at the northern end of the scheme closer to the town centre.

Dartford council leader Jeremy Kite said the powers would only be used as a last resort.

No further details have been confirmed about negotiations and progress with the CPO for the former nightclub building.

The latest phase of the Copperhouse Green plans would see 88 new apartments across three buildings bringing the total number of flats there to 644.

Bellway say one block will have 27 apartments for private sale and the other two will have 61, of which 38 will be sold on shared ownership schemes and 23 for affordable rent.

The development already has 17 apartment buildings approved, being built and nearing completion in what is the largest development under construction by Bellway London.

A micro-brewery, restaurant and bar is also being constructed on the site of the former Dartford Brewery Company, which was derelict for 12 years before Bellway took on the site.

The scheme will also provide 1,700 square metres of commercial and retail space.

Funding is also being allocated to deliver improvements to Central Park.

John Haggerstone, construction director for Bellway London, said: “Copperhouse Green is a flagship regeneration scheme for Dartford which is transforming this derelict site in the heart of the town into a new neighbourhood of high-quality apartments.

“This second phase of the development will complement the mix of private homes being delivered in phase one and will make a significant contribution towards the supply of much-needed affordable housing in the borough.

“Planning permission for the additional 88 homes at Copperhouse Green has already been granted, so the purchase of this land off Vauxhall Place will enable us to start construction work on site in the coming months.

"Work is progressing well on the first phase of apartments and we anticipate that the first residents will be moving into their homes this summer.”

The first residents are set to move into their new homes in July.

The current phase at Copperhouse Green is made up of studio, one and two-bedroom apartment with prices ranging from £186,995 to £334,995.

Earlier this week, Bellway announced it had submitted plans for 233 new homes in Swanscombe in a former quarry as part of its Ebbsfleet Cross development.

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