Five new large stores and a raised car park deck can be built at Hempstead Valley Shopping Centre after councillors approved plans last night.

Medway Council’s planning committee voted 12-1 in favour of the scheme, which will see 7,522 square metres of “quality retail and leisure floorspace” built on the centre's existing yellow car park. Meanwhile, the new two-tier car park will take shape on the current blue and overflow car parks.

Residents had raised concerns about the car park extension being too close to properties - standing just 35m away from homes in Kingsdown Close - as well as the net loss of 50 parking spaces exacerbating current traffic flow issues in the area.

But councillors said the propsal was needed to keep the centre, based in Gillingham, "relevant and attractive" to visitors.

Cllr David Carr (Con) said: "The number of car parking spaces doesn't change very much. That (the new units) doesn't necessarily mean there will be more people, just the same people getting a better service from the additional facilities that are there.

"It's a great place and it's free (to park), which is really good because you want to go there for a while - you want to go there to shop, to eat, and to spend time in what is a very pleasant environment."

Pentagon Shopping Centre, located in Chatham High Street, and the Chatham Town Centre Forum also objected to the extension by insisting the plans would be contrary to the council’s development plan which promotes town centres.

Cllr Dorte Gilry (Lab) said such fears were misplaced, insisting Hempstead Valley was competing more with the likes of Bluewater and other out-of-town shopping centres.

She added: "I would have thought that Chatham town centre would have more to worry about Chatham Dockside, which is basically on their doorstep and I don't think there was any objections when that was opened.

"I think Gillingham has accepted Hempstead Valley and I think it will be down to us an authority to reinvest into Chatham - which we're doing - and Gillingham to offer other sorts of shopping or turn some of the shops into housing for the future."

Conditions include parking arrangements to be finished before the new units can open to the public, landscaping to mitigate the impact on local houses, and the introduction of electronic road signs telling motorists where parking spaces are available.