Plans to preserve the historic residential quarter of Sheerness Dockyard have officially been given the green light.

Swale council officers have approved an application by The Spitalfields Trust for planning permission and listed building consent for 10 properties in the docks.

The decision follows a £1.85m deal, between the trust and former owner George Demetriou, which was completed in March to ensure the dockyard’s future.

The trust is fronting a group of investors which will be taking on properties within the residential quarter.

Secretary of SAVE Britain’s Heritage Will Palin, who is also a resident in Naval Terrace, said since the deal went ahead, there has been work going on at the site mainly to tidy it up and carry out emergency repairs.

Now this consent has been given, Mr Palin said work can really start to move forward.

The permission that has been granted is for the conversion of Regency Terrace, a grade II* listed terrace of Georgian houses, back into their original use as five single dwellings and the conversion of Dockyard House back to a single house.

Dockyard Cottage, a grade II listed property, will be converted back to use as a single house, and the grade II listed former gate building and stables will be made into four homes.

Previous applications made by Mr Demetriou, which involved building new homes and creating access through the listed Dockyard Wall, were refused.

Mr Palin said: “Obviously the trust is delighted that consent has been given for the scheme.

“Now this allows the trust to get on in earnest and do the full repairs to the buildings and reinstate things like the garden walls and other architecture that’s missing – the pleasure and pain starts today.

“It’s welcome news and it’s great to get the green light from Swale council. The council has been very supportive of the project.”

The reasons for approval were because the application would “preserve or enhance the special character or appearance of the Conservation Area and would preserve the special architectural or historic interest of the listed buildings”.