Dartford Council leader Jeremy Kite has said the proposed development of Lowfield Street is the “one remaining scar” on the town’s regeneration – but he is confident work should start soon.

After 17 years of disappointment, which Cllr Kite describes as a “long saga”, he has met with bosses of developer Bellway Homes to discuss the project.

“They gave me a very honest assessment of what they were doing and said they wanted to get on really quickly,” Cllr Kite told News Shopper.

He added he thought the developers seemed like “the real deal” and believed they were honest about their intentions.

Dartford residents have been awaiting the building of 188 homes on the street in the town centre since planning permission was granted in March 2017.

The approved plans came after 12 years of stalling from Tesco, which had initially planned to build a store in the street before pulling out.

In July, Dartford Council’s Labour leader, Cllr Jonathon Hawkes, told News Shopper he feared a “Tesco v. 2” situation on the site.

However, Cllr Kite has said he is confident Dartford residents will not be let down again – although he accepted why people were frustrated.

“Tesco were in all kinds of difficulty and frankly the whole town wasted a lot of time talking to them – but it is not quite as simple as not talking to them,” he said.

The council leader added: “Bellway are the first people in this whole sorry saga who have ever built houses.”

From meeting with Bellway Homes, Cllr Kite has been told work on clearing the site ready for building is due to begin this month.

However, a fire in a derelict building in Lowfield Street two weeks ago has forced Bellway to change its plans slightly, as this part of the site is likely to be demolished first.

Cllr Kite told News Shopper he was pleased to visit the site in Lowfield Street in the last week to see Bellway Homes had put signs up in the area – indicating it is getting to work.

However, he has urged developers to keep Dartford residents informed of updates and changes to development plans.

“Is has been a really frustrating period for people,” he said.

A spokeswoman for Meyer Homes, which is overseeing the Bellway construction, told News Shopper development on the site is “imminent”.