Plans to erect a “car-free” five-storey apartment block aimed at young professionals in the centre of a town have been approved.

The “build to rent” development will house four two-bed apartments and ten one-bed flats in Dartford.

An application was submitted by the developers in August to demolish two existing buildings at 31 Orchard Street and erect flats built with prefabricated “rammed earth blocks” in its place near the junction with Hythe Street.

The existing site, which features a main building and a smaller outbuilding, sits opposite Westgate car park – which forms part of the town’s huge regeneration plans – and behind the Dreams mattress shop.

Most recently the building was used by the mental health organisation Mind, however, the site is currently vacant and it’s understood it was last in use in January 2022.

Sussex-based property investors Old Manor Estates have since won approval from Dartford council for their new vision for the site.

It will see a new 470 sq m property erected which will feature a rooftop garden area and 21 bicycle spaces – although there will not be any parking spaces allocated to the “car-free” plot.

In plans submitted to the council, developers said: “The proposal is a sustainable development which makes effective and efficient use of the brownfield site at a highly accessible town centre location.

“The proposed new apartment block is a high-quality design which will make an attractive addition to the area.”

Once built, the properties are to be rented rather that sold privately – although they could be sold independently or leased in the future.

Neighbours were notified of the proposals with several outlining objections.

One resident in Orchard Street objected to the proposal due to the amount of flats proposed “in such a small area”.

Their objection also raised issues over the lack of parking amid fears deliveries for takeaway food will be outside the their home with “cars and vans bumping up on the pavement”.

Highfield Dental Centre, based less than 500 miles away, also objected to the plans.

Planning officers noted: “They have advised us they will be adversely affected by this development and may be unable to continue to provide the local services we require to ensure the smooth running of this healthcare facility.”

The practice said it would have preferred a smaller development which would have been less impact on healthcare services in Dartford town centre -which it believes are already suffering unfulfillable demand.

Further comments raised fears about emergency service access – however, both police and the fire service raised no objections with the latter noting the development met all of its requirements.

A decision notice confirming planning permission for the site was published on Dartford Council’s planning portal on April 19.

To see more planning applications and other public notices for your area, click here.

Work is expected to start on site this autumn.