An 8ft boundary fence will be erected at Canterbury police station in response to the country’s terrorism threat level.

The galvanised steel structure is part of a long-proposed security upgrade at the site in Old Dover Road.

It will replace the current timber, wire mesh and brick boundary around the station’s car park, which will be illuminated by 24 new floodlights.

The proposed defences sparked concerns from neighbours fearful of intrusive light pollution, but they have been now been rubber-stamped by Canterbury City Council.

The plans were originally submitted in January 2018, when the UK’s terror threat level was ‘severe’ - meaning an attack was highly likely.

Now, the predicted threat is one level lower at ‘substantial’.

The original plans, submitted by crime commissioner Matthew Scott, were withdrawn and revised back in 2018.

Subsequent revisions followed after the Canterbury Heritage Design Forum (CHDF) suggested the scheme would turn the station’s appearance into an “open prison camp”.

Police have now added hedges to the plan - proposing to have them planted next to the new fence to soften the visual impact.

The floodlights will be spread across the station car park, with the tallest being five metres.

The CHDF says previous findings indicate the presence of Roman period gravel quarries at the station, along with remnants of pottery manufacturing in the later medieval period.

The proposal was considered by the council's planning committee at a virtual meeting on Thursday when it was unanimously approved.

Former policeman Cllr Ashley Clark said: "Policing is totally unpredictable and recent events tragically explain that.

"Sometimes you have terrorist prisoners and you can have cars that are seized which require forensic examination - they've got to be examined in daylight.

"You need a secure environment."

In his report, case officer Andrew Gambrill said: “Although a more traditional fence design would have been desirable in this conservation area location, it is understood from the police service that this type of fencing is necessary in order to provide the level of security required for the site.”

Read more: All the latest news from Canterbury