One of the biggest and most long-awaited redevelopments in north Kent has been approved, despite concerns over its small amount of affordable housing.

Dartford council's development control board gave developer Meyer Homes the all-clear to start work on a huge residential scheme in Lowfield Street, which will replace its dilapidated store fronts with 548 homes, retail space, a cafe, and a microbrewery.

The cafe and microbrewery will form part of the project's first phase, alongside 188 of the homes, but just 11% of the total will be 'affordable' and these won't be delivered until the second and third phases.

Ward Cllr Josh Jones (Lab) said: "Too many of these apartments will remain out of reach for ordinary Dartford people," he said.

"We have got a local plan that sets out that 30% of homes that should be affordable. This is mostly going to be intermediate or shared ownership, which just isn't affordable for most people, and there's nothing in there in terms of social housing.

"I think it's mostly going to be filled by commuters, perhaps people renting in London at the moment with a bit more capital. There will be some first time buyers, but they'll be helped by the bank of mum and dad, which isn't feasible for a lot of people."

Cllr Jones also highlighted the town's ongoing traffic problems, and oversubscribed doctor's surgeries and schools as major concerns that would be exacerbated by the plans.

Other Labour members at the meeting who were on the board - Cllrs Mark Maddison, Pat Kelly, and Bachchu Kaini - voted against the plans because of these potential problems.

Board chairman Cllr Derek Hunnisett (Con) said an upcoming expansion at Temple Hill School, a new secondary at Stone Lodge, and the potential arrival of an additional medical centre in the town centre would help the area cope.

Meyer Homes, which submitted its planning application in December after holding public consultations last summer, also wants to discourage people moving in from using cars in light of Dartford's congestion and poor air quality.

Phase one will have just 0.7 parking spaces per home, and will also feature a car club, an initiative that allows residents to rent out a car from the site to use. If the site needs more parking, phases two and three will be adapted to include extra spaces.

Meyer Homes director Jamie Pearson said: "This project offers great opportunity for Dartford to kick-start a long-awaited regeneration of Lowfield Street and act as a catalyst for other developments in the town centre.

"We have seen much enthusiasm from locals during the formulation of the plans. Five hundred people came through our public consultation at the Dartford Festival, and another 600 at the Priory Shopping Centre."

Mr Pearson said the firm were committed to the site and making up for the state it was left in by former owner Tesco, who sold the land in October 2015 after 13 years of false dawns because a nationwide cutback on new and unprofitable stores.

Meyer Homes is hopeful of completing the entire project towards the end of 2019, which will be right in the midst of the other developments going on in Dartford.

Council leader Cllr Jeremy Kite (Con) said: "Town centres are seen as places where you need a buzz of people. The old high streets are still with us but need to be sustained by the people who live there. Providing a market for the local shops is really important.

"There are different approaches to living these days and we've got to make sure we provide not just the open spaces, but also for the people who do want urban living.

"Our job is to make sure they fit into the culture of Dartford. We're not just going to let the developer off the hook now, we're going to keep pushing for quality."

Cllr Kite added that people's concerns over infrastructure were being listened to and that new schools like Stone Lodge and other provisions would be in place to meet the needs of the community.