A shortlist of names for what will be the first section of Sittingbourne’s £57 million regeneration scheme to be completed has been drawn up and will be put to a public vote.

The new retail units being built on the former Biffa depot off Eurolink Way are expected to be handed over to their occupants – Costa Coffee, Home Bargains and Food Warehouse from Iceland – by the end of March.

Spirit of Sittingbourne, the consortium behind the town’s transformation, has been working with the Swale council and the Historical Research Group of Sittingbourne (HRGS) to come up with the shortlist of names for the new shopping area.

The contenders are:

• Princes Street Retail Park – inspired by the street that used to run through the site.

• Donald Dean Place – named after war hero and Victoria Cross recipient, Col Donald Dean.

• Spring Retail Park – based around the fact there is a small stream, or bourne, running underground in Sittingbourne.

Cllr Mike Cosgrove, the council’s cabinet member for regeneration said: “We want residents to feel involved with the regeneration project and want them to have their say on the new name for the retail site.

“We’ve worked with the HRGS to help us get a selection that reflects Sittingbourne’s history and tries to connect the town’s past with the bright future.

“Work is set to begin on the new public square and leisure quarter next year and we’ll be asking people to help pick a name for that in due course.”

To vote for your favourite, visit www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/Sittingbourne-retail-site. The online poll will run until Wednesday, November 29 and the final choice will be announced at the council meeting on December 13.

A similar method for picking a name is being planned for the leisure quarter, where an eight-screen cinema and six new restaurants will be built on The Forum car park in the hope of attracting 400,000 visitors to Sittingbourne each year.