A multi-million pound business hub designed to bring hundreds of jobs to the Marsh is now more than 50% occupied.

The Romney Marsh Employment Hub, at the Mountfield Road Industrial Estate in New Romney, was given the green light by Folkestone and Hythe District Council (FHDC) in 2019 and officially opened in February last year.

It was hoped the project, supported by Kent County Council (KCC) and the Kent and Medway Economic Partnership, would create jobs which will eventually be lost through the complete closures of Dungeness A and B power stations – the latter of which has been moved into the defueling stage.

More than £3.5million government funding was secured for the business hub.

A condition of the funding was that work had to be completed by March 2022 and that more than 480 jobs are created for the area over a 10 year period.

And since its launch last year, the council has seen a “steady increase in occupancy” with businesses including Coastal Promotions, Stephen Hill Mid-Kent, Channel Fire, Romney Hythe and Dymchurch Railway, The Risk Partners, Looker Media, J Senior Consultancy, and Automation Academy opening at the site.

Cllr Rich Holgate, cabinet member for district economy, at FHDC, said: "Nearly 60% of the offices are now fully let – with 23 FTEs (full time employees) employed – and we’re expecting another business to sign its lease in the coming weeks.

“There are also various other volunteers and freelance participants attending the hub at various times throughout the year.

“The Romney Marsh Business Hub also offers excellent co-working membership and a dedicated meeting room for external training where providers can make use of the kitchen facilities, free parking and free Wi-Fi the hub has to offer.

“We’ve worked closely with businesses that have leased space within the hub, some of which have benefited from a grant scheme administered by the council to support fit-out costs and tailor spaces to individual business needs.”

It comes as hardware retailer Screwfix has also moved onto the Mountfield Road Industrial Estate.

The store opening has created 13 new jobs, and branch manager Jess Smith said the team is delighted to now be trading.

She said: “We chose to open a new store in New Romney to better meet the needs of the local tradespeople and help them get their job done quickly, affordably and right first time.

“We’re delighted to bring Screwfix even closer to them for greater convenience.

“We are looking forward to welcoming and helping more tradespeople and serious DIYers over the coming months.”

A second Scewfix in the district can be found at Park Farm Industrial Estate in Folkestone.

Dungeness A – first build in the 60s – stopped producing power in 2006, was defuelled in 2012, and demolition of parts of the building began in 2015.

The second plant, Dungeness B, began generating electricity in 1983.

However, in 2021 after technical issues highlighted by the Office for Nuclear Regulation, French state-owned energy giant EDF, which runs the power plant, declared it would start defueling immediately – seven years ahead of schedule.

The decommissioning of nuclear power plants - which involves defueling, decontamination and ‘care and maintenance’ of plants - is the responsibility of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.

Hundreds of jobs are secure for now, with EDF saying the process will take years, if not decades.