New restaurants and a cinema are at the heart of new regeneration plans for Sittingbourne, Kent, which have been submitted to the local authority.

Spenhill Regeneration - a subsidiary of Tesco - has lodged the plans with Swale Borough Council for the scheme, which will also include a hotel and leisure space. The proposals have been shaped by a series of consultations over the last five years, which have found a demand for new restaurants and leisure facilities to revitalise the town.

Tesco corporate affairs manager Jonathan Simpson said: "Our plans will give a real boost to the town centre, providing the improved shopping facilities and better public spaces that local residents have told us they want. "Not only will our plans bring substantial investment to Sittingbourne they will also create over 500 jobs for local people."