The transformation of a huge former Debenhams site is expected to be given the green light with the lifting of the final barrier to work getting underway.

The £25 million scheme for flats and retail units at the old department store - rebranded the Guildhall Quarter - in Canterbury has been stalled by the issue of wastewater polluting the Stodmarsh nature reserve, with Natural England ordering developers to create mitigating measures.

Now, those behind the revamp of the prominent city centre site - 90North - are set to follow the lead of the owners of the former Nasons opposite, by proposing sewage be stored on site and tankered away for treatment.

Planning permission was granted for the Debenhams project in 2020, but the Stodmarsh issue emerged in the meantime and had to be addressed as a condition before any work could start.

The proposed solution has been discussed with Natural England and the city council, which are both said to be in agreement as a way forward.

Architect Karl Elliott of Clague Architects, which drew up the scheme for the Guildhall Quarter, says foul water will be stored in tanks in the basement of the building and driven away to be dealt with.

He added: “Like the Nasons site, it really is an interim option until a permanent alternative solution can be found for the Stodmarsh issue.”

But there is still doubt over when work on the former Debenhams - which includes 74 apartments and 12 retail units - will actually start, after Mr Elliott revealed that site owners Chaucer Property Investments plan to sell off parts of the estate.

“They hope to sell the former Debenhams homeware site on the opposite side of Guildhall Street and the nearby former Cotswolds Outdoor shop which will raise money to help fund the conversion of the main building,” he said.

City council leader Ben Fitter-Harding says the authority is still working with Natural England to devise a credit-based system. This allows developers to offset damage caused by harmful substances seeping into rivers and lakes by buying "nutrient credits" to fund mitigation measures like new wetlands and woodland.

“That will disconnect mitigation from the sites themselves, meaning sites like Nasons and Debenhams will never have to use tankering solutions - which has always been my intention,” Cllr Fitter-Harding said.

“But it will take them years to complete the developments, so continuing to stall such vital regeneration projects when a solution is in the works just doesn’t make sense.”