thanks I won't be able to go as long as 2800, 2400 would probably be too long and impact on the other seating area but 2200 is ideal, also Im allowing 1m for depth as I was told that u need 300mm to sit comfortably. my only concern is how the island will look if the drawers are only 600mm deep with an overhang of 300mm on the far side prefer it when it looks more filled in but then I can't fit 3/4 stools around the island ie 3 on the length and 1 on the far end. any suggestions.

Not due if you mean you want an island like this? 120 cm wide, 120cm length would be needed minimum just for the seating area side. That's assuming you would use a 60cm wide base unit in middle opening at side. Never saw anything like that to be honest. If you have island with seating on both sides you would need almost 2 m gap behind it if you were having units behind it so you could get by if someone was sitting at island

Having open end(s) and side(s) would free you from constraints of doors and adds visual interest. Access from both sides makes the internal space more usable, since deep cabinets tend to lose things at the rear. Incorporating some drawers facing the table, sink, and cooker could be helpful for cooking gadgets and tools and serving items (cutlery, hotpads, and napkins) can be handy and reduce counter and wall/backsplash clutter. I recently had an island included in my newbuild with access from 3 sides, which included deep drawers, shallow drawers just under the countertop, and the end access is a door on one end and is open on the other. I also included electrical sockets under each end and these are very handy for things like toaster, mixer, blender, grill, waffle iron, phone charger, etc., some of which can be stored below but readily accessible for the dining table or for cooking prep work. Be sure to include some overhead lighting (and decide if it will be recessed or a feature). Consider an overhead pot rack but don't get hung up on the idea- it has advantages and drawbacks. Keep the walkways to 1.2m minimum and 1.5m if there are 2 cooks! One of the best things you can do is make a model (or several) using posterboard. It's easy to do and you can view it from various side angles rather than just a plan view from above and even photograph it from different angles to get a better sense of a future reality. Put the model (or photos) where you can see it/them over several days before deciding on the final form and placement. If you want to use off-the-shelf (vs custom) components, you could join upper wall units mounted on a base facing different directions. Consider having a different countertop surface and colour or texture of materials to make your island a feature. If you are retaining the wood cabinets shown in your photos a light colour island will keep your kitchen feeling more open. I chose a stunning cultured stone top but a very plain laminate for the wall counters to emphasize the island as a feature.

If the room is big enough then i'd design the island with shallow depth units on the back and then an overhang (i always use dummy drawer line units for these especially if its a handleless door style so you can open the doors) and that would keep the island in proportion and not look to narrow (like it is now). But this also depends on the worktop you've chosen, as you have a howdens plan you are going to be limited to what howdens can supply and that might be why the howdens 'designer'/salesperson has designed the island like it is. You could start adding 300 units at each end, but you'd lose one seating position, the other option may be to have 'downstands' where the worktop carries on down to the floor, again depending on your worktop it may need to be a mitred joint, especially if you have a grain/pattern/edge profile. Even then if the room is big enough i'd still have shallow depth units for the extra storage and to make a real statement of the island also have the downstands, lots of quartz worktops are in jumbo sizes and these are 1400mm wide so your island could be upto 2400x1400 so you could easily have the post in the middle with a bit of careful planning.