Two thousand jobs could be created over the next few years with help from a £7.3m hi-tech centre.

After more than six years of planning, Canterbury Innovation Centre has finally started construction, a milestone celebrated by a ground-breaking ceremony.

Jonathan Shaw, minister for the South East and MP for Chatham and Aylesford, pulled on wellington boots and hard hat to perform a turf-cutting ceremony with a silver spade.

He said it would be "a fantastic and iconic building with high environmental standards."

The low-level building on the University of Kent campus in Canterbury will provide 25,000 sq ft of offices, studios and workshops and be part of a planned science park. It is due to open in October next year.

The project is funded by the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) which is working with East Kent Spatial Development Company, the University of Kent, Canterbury Enterprise Hub and Canterbury City Council to boost the knowledge-based economy in East Kent.

Lee Amor, SEEDA’s executive director of infrastructure and development, said that in challenging times, it was right for the public sector to invest in a project that would provide a platform for future growth.

"We are anticipating that the centre over its lifetime will provide 2,000 jobs and benefit as many as 800 companies," he said.

"That will help diversify the local economy which is very much focused on retail, the public sector and tourism. It will create a knowledge-based econommic which is so critical to future growth."

Mr Amor added that innovation was vital to economic success, and universities, working with businesses, played a key role in helping high-growth enterprise. "Innovation is a driver of growth and will make the region more competitive. It’s not only good for Canterbury and Kent, but also the south east."

University of Kent vice chancellor Professor Professor Julia Goodfellow said: "Universities are at the heart of regeneration and innovation."