New CGIs of a proposed major redevelopment scheme for a 90-bedroom hotel and 40 flats have been revealed.

The plans for the industrial site in West Hill, Dartford, have been drawn up by property developers Skillcrown Homes and submitted to Dartford council for approval.

If it goes ahead, the firm will demolish the existing buildings that occupy the land – where the EC Bate motorbike dealership was based – to allow the new scheme to be built in its place.

The submitted design and access statement says many of the current buildings are vacant and the site is “underused”.

According to the attached planning statement, if approved, two tower blocks – both of which will be part five and part six storeys – will be erected.

The front building will be T-shaped to create a 90-bedroom hotel, including a mix of standard, squeeze family, family and wheelchair rooms, with a check-in and bar area and green roofs for biodiversity.

The other block will contain 18 one-bedroom and 22 two-bedroom apartments with shared rooftop areas for residents.

There are also plans for two levels of car parking creating 40 residential and 40 hotel-use spaces, cycle storage, bin stores, and amenity space such as private balconies.

Skillcrown Homes submitted the planning application this month but the scheme has undergone numerous pre-application consultations with the council for the past year.

A public consultation was also held in May and around 35 people attended.

The developers have said most of the feedback was positive but issues surrounding parking, the impact on the local highway network, impact on Tower Road properties and Cliffside Court were raised.

However, in the design and access statement, the firm states that the number of parking spaces is in line with council requirements.

In terms of the impact on the surrounding area, it said “it is not expected for the proposal to have any great or negative impact” on those in Tower Road and there is a “generous distance” between them.

It added the proposed hotel is also around 17m to 21m away from Cliffside Court.

Concerns were also raised by ward councillor Drew Swinerd. He said: “I am quite sceptical that a hotel in West Hill is appropriate when the town centre seems like a more obvious location for such a development.”

In the submitted planning documents, the property firm said it believes the proposed redevelopment will make good use of an underused site.

It added: “A key driver for this project is that it has the ambition to deliver a sustainable development including a contemporary, high-quality design that will deliver significant economic, social and environmental benefits to the local area.

“The application responds to these objectives and represents a comprehensive development proposal that will provide much-needed housing, a hotel, and functional private amenities and public realm.”

At the time of writing, four objections to the plans had been received from nearby residents who raised issues over noise, increase in traffic, parking, pressure on local services, and need for such development.

One read: “I am concerned at the sheer number of additional dwellings being built in Dartford, bringing more and more pressure on local services and increasing the local population which in turn seems to be causing a lot of friction and issue.”

Another added: “It is appreciated that the side of West Hill that this development is planned for could do with regeneration.

“However, the increase in traffic and parking and population is not appreciated; it makes no sense when there are huge areas within the town centre that have been derelict for years and are still left with no plan.”

You can view the plans here or by searching for reference number 23/00940/FUL on the council’s planning portal.

A decision is expected to be made by November 13.