by Jan Thom

THE town's £1bn Masterplan will come under the spotlight when it takes a major step forward at Swale Borough Council’s local development framework panel next Tuesday.

Following public consultation carried out earlier this year, when residents were asked what they thought about proposals for the future regeneration of the town, officers have been looking at responses and using them to shape the revised Masterplan.

Major attention has been paid to transport, retail, community facilities, housing and design.

The council has been committed to getting the Masterplan spot-on, so a range of technical studies and transport modelling has also been carried out to make sure the Sittingbourne and Milton Creek Masterplan is ambitious but capable of becoming a reality.

A cultural survey was also carried out to discover what people would like to see in

Sittingbourne from an amenities and entertainment perspective.

The results showed that people think the town needs a new cinema, restaurants, cafes and bars as well as more festivals and public art.

Swale Borough Council’s portfolio holder for regeneration, Cllr John Wright, said: "It has been encouraging to see how many people participated in the Masterplan consultation process.

"It demonstrates how highly the people of Sittingbourne value their town. Regeneration is the council’s number one priority, and we have been working hard over the last 12 months to develop a Masterplan for the regeneration of Sittingbourne town centre and Milton Creek, which will set out a vision for the next 10 to 20 years."

Once the Masterplan has been adopted, it will be used to guide the future development of Sittingbourne town centre and Milton Creek.