Plans for a new Thanet Parkway railway station have been given a £10 million boost – which could be a “game-changer” for Discovery Park.

Council chiefs have welcomed the government investment, just weeks after the closure of Manston Airport, near the proposed station site.

The plans could see journey times to and from London cut to less than an hour, which is good news for existing and new businesses at Discovery Park.

Discovery Park managing director Paul Barber said: “If anything, a parkway station near Manston will be even more helpful than an hourly service to London from Sandwich.

"A new station, coupled with track improvements between there and Ashford, could bring the journey time from London down to about one hour. It could be a game-changer because one hour is seen by many people in London as the maximum journey time they will consider.

“This investment could really open up Discovery Park and the whole of east Kent to a huge new pool of investors.

“We have been canvassing government to help fund a parkway station at Manston even though the airport has closed. If anything, the closure of the airport makes it even more important that east Kent has fast, regular and high-quality train services to and from London throughout the day. It is a very important step in the right direction.”

The Mayor of Sandwich, Cllr Paul Graeme, says this is also good news for Sandwich as a whole. He said: “This latest announcement of funding, although not immediate, for Thanet Parkway can only be good news for the success of Discovery Park, which will no doubt have real benefits for the town of Sandwich and not only encourage inward investment but also promote further interest in the unique attractions that Sandwich itself and surrounding areas have to offer.”

The money for Thanet Parkway is part of a multimillion-pound package of support announced this week.

It has come from the government’s growth funds, which has seen the South East Local Enterprise Partnership securing £442.2 million to boost economic growth across Kent, East Sussex and Essex.

Kent County Council leader Cllr Paul Carter said: “There is enormous potential to be had from developing that station, with a very large car park – which I believe is necessary – and which is affordable for commuters. The opportunity to bring east Kent closer to London through a station is good news.”