A PLANNING application has been put in to replace a car park with a six-storey building in a development which is set to cost more than £3m.

The application was received by Dartford Council on October 16 and comprises a six-storey building with shops on the ground floor, 23-one bedroom apartments on floors one to five and a communal terrace also on the fifth floor.

Currently the proposed site, which is on land at the rear of the Two Brewers Pub in Lowfield Street, Dartford, is used as a car park.

In August 2007, Urban Enhance Ltd, which owns the car park, was given permission to build a six-storey building but with 12 one-bedroom apartments, two floors of shops and space for six office suites.

Managing director of Urban Enhance, Paul Martin, says another planning application has been submitted because the company wants to offer more apartments to people instead of extra shops and offices, which people may not want.

Mr Martin said: “We want to improve the town centre and encourage people to eat, shop and live here.

“The council is encouraging people to build in the town centre and build communities here.”

Mr Martin also said the current planning application does not have any provisions for car parking, instead it has a cycle store where bikes could be kept.

He said: “The Government do not want people to have cars, they are pushing people to use public transport and use bikes.”

If the apartment block is built it will be surrounded by the Priory Centre multi-storey car park to the north, Cornwallis House to the south-east, The Two Brewers pub and other properties to the east and Sainsbury’s supermarket to the west.

David Rofe, who owns Chef’s, based in the Priory Centre, said: “If it was just flats I would say yes but there is no demand for more retail units. There are already empty shops in the town.”

A planning decision is expected to be made in around six weeks.