Regeneration cash 'misdirected'

The High Street area has been regenerated at a cost of £7.5m

Millions of pounds spent on the regeneration of a Kent town may have been misdirected, according to traders.

Shopkeepers in Gravesend have complained that £7.5m invested in the Heritage Quarter in Gravesend has not benefited their trade.

At the centre of the regeneration project is Gravesend Pier, which has been shut since restoration work was completed four months ago.

The pier, at the end of High Street, has re-opened to the public this week - but only for an hour each lunchtime for the next eight weeks.

Delayed opening

A number of shops have opened on High Street in recent months, hoping to benefit from the restoration of the town's historic centre.

But their owners claim the delayed opening of the pier has had a serious impact on their business.

They say visitors continue to flock to the main shopping areas and arcades 200 yards away but ignore the Heritage Quarter because there is nothing to attract them.

People throng Gravesend's main shopping street 200 yards away

A restaurant is due to open on the pier in the spring - but the shopkeepers fear that may be too late to save their businesses.

The regeneration work was funded by Gravesham Borough Council and English Heritage.

Jean Christie, a Labour councillor for Gravesham Borough Council, said the delay in re-opening the pier had been necessary.

She said: "There wasn't a barrier at the end of it and we didn't want anyone to fall off into the river.

"We have to make sure that we are safe and that's why we had the guided tours before.

"But now we feel that the public can enjoy it."