A historic creek could be transformed with flats and townhouses alongside a cafe, shop and workshops.

Raybel Charters plans to redevelop part of Lloyd’s Wharf at Milton Creek in an attempt to reconnect Sittingbourne town centre with its “lost waterside”.

Included in the group's concept for the site is a cafe, shop and a range of shipbuilding workshops, as well as a maritime exhibition.

Meanwhile, developers Essential Land has plans to build blocks of flats and townhouses around the Swale council-owned land which is being used by Raybel Charters.

This includes 187 new homes in four main flat blocks – the tallest being nine storeys – and townhouses which will overlook the creek which it calls a “hidden treasure”.

There are 82 car parking spaces included in the plans and road access would be off The Wall, which runs behind KFC.

It is part of a larger scheme for the site of the former paper mill, which was demolished in 2010, and includes the Morrisons supermarket and 150 homes in Mill Way – both of these projects have already been built.

The developers bought the land for £5.65 million.

The site is named after Edwardian newspaper proprietor Edward Lloyd who owned the Lloyd’s Weekly newspaper.

The papers were made at Sittingbourne mill before being transported from Milton Creek on barges to Fleet Street to be printed and distributed.

This heritage, alongside the nearby Kemsley Light Railway, is central to the leisure and cultural revamp Raybel Charters wants to bring to the town. The group has no affiliation with Essential Land.

The project was set up in 2018 to restore a Thames sailing barge named Raybel that had been launched in 1920, just a few hundred yards from today's site.

It had been found in Essex but because of its ties to Sittingbourne, group bosses wanted to bring it back to the town, despite other ready-made facilities in Essex, London and Faversham.

The barge was brought back to the town in 2020, and following repairs, it was relaunched during an open day in May.

The restoration is nearing completion but the interior needs to be fitted, and masts and sails need to be reattached. The barge will be at the heart of the regeneration of the wharf.

Gareth Maeers, co-founder and director of the group, said the idea behind Raybel Charters was always “more than just the barge” with some elements of a potential leisure site already in place.

At the moment there is a workshop where a lot of the Raybel restoration work has been done.

There is also the Dolphin and Raybel Museum which had been located at Dolphin Yard – an old Victorian sailmaker loft – since 1961 before it burnt down in 2008.

It was rebuilt in 2019 and now hosts exhibitions and offers spaces for groups to learn about both the project and Thames sailing barges.

Raybel herself is the centrepiece of the Charters project. The group hopes to use her to hold events such as gigs once she is fully furnished inside.

A dry dock at the wharf will be used for the future restoration of other barges.

Mr Maeer told KentOnline the site has the scope to go in different directions depending on what funding they can secure, as most of the money from the National Heritage Fund, as well as Swale council, has been used on the Raybel.

He added: “Our idea was that if we were going to come here then it should be a catalyst for the site, so we always wanted it to be a broader regeneration project.

“There are different ideas and there are different ways it could go which will partly depend on where the local community, authority and business want to take it.

“We are very open to whatever other ideas local organisations, and community groups have got around the site and we want to carry on the conversation with the council.

“We know that there are bits of regeneration funding around and we think this would be a great place for it to go and we could create more projects as a way to get a return on that funding money.

“One idea is that we would continue a boating/barging type activity here. We have the dry dock which houses another restoration or some more maintenance and repair work. Other boats could come over winter or a residential mooring.

“It creates a lot more sort of life and activity and colour for people to see and get them attracted to come and visit the wharf and see what's going on.

“Meanwhile Raybel is a perfect cultural event space where we can hold events, meals, gigs and theatre events for example.

“We have a wonderful sort of wildlife reserve here as well which is perfect for school or Scout groups to visit. We are going to put a bird hide here as well so that will attract people who like just the peace and tranquility of the place which is surprising being so close to the bits of the industry which are around.

“So the plans for this place are unlimited – we could have a little cafe, we've got a wonderful building which could be a place for exhibitions and art events. It has huge promise.”