Plans for two shops and seven apartments in a new building inspired by the design of the town’s beach huts have been revealed.

Sea Street Developments Ltd - headed up by Oyster Company boss James Green - has submitted an application to build on the car park at the corner of Tower Parade and Beach Walk in Whitstable.

A total of eight jobs will be created at ground floor retail units if the scheme - next door to the MFA bowling alley - is approved by the city council.

Above, there will be six two-bedroom flats and one three-bed apartment, double the size of the others.

The design of the building includes black-boarded cladding, which the application says provides a “historic connection to the many fisherman’s buildings and beach huts”.

The roof also references the Whitstable beach hut in an “entirely modern way”, according to the application.

The planning application states: “The proposed re-development preserves and enhances the character and appearance of the surrounding area, giving new life to an under-utilised formerly developed parcel of land.”

It is also described as “an inherently sustainable proposal”, offering occupants “a beautiful place to live”. Each apartment will have one off-street parking space and internally there will be shared refuse, cycle and personal storage areas.

The location was previously occupied by Jimmy’s Arcade, demolished in the early 1970s. It was later used for second-hand vehicle sales before planning consent was granted in 1999 for its current use as a private overflow car park by the Hotel Continental.

The developers are also behind plans for a complex featuring townhouses and holiday apartments built on the site formerly occupied by the Oval Chalet and tile warehouse in Sea Street. It will comprise eight family properties and seven one-bedroom holiday homes, a café or commercial building, open space with tiered seating and sea views, a landscaped garden open to the public and public toilets.

Campaigners claimed the land was sold far too cheaply and launched a legal challenge against the city council. But the High Court ruled the £160,000 sale could go ahead.

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