A wedding venue has applied to extend a giant marquee – a year after it won a planning appeal to stop it being dismantled.

Bosses at The Barnyard at Gore Farm, Upchurch, want to provide a room for wedding ceremonies which would increase the overall size by approximately 35 metres square.

It now measures approximately 40m long by 15m wide.

Ceremonies are held at the nearby Breezehouse restaurant.

As this has to be closed to regular customers while weddings take place, wedding parties are charged a higher hire fee to cover lost income.

The owners argue this makes their rates uncompetitive in comparison with other venues.

The marquee is an approved ceremony area but is also used for wedding receptions.

The additional space would allow ceremonies to be held while preparations for the receptions continue.

Plans also include a new toilet block.

Two people have already objected to the application online. Kim Taylor, of Chaffes Lane, Upchurch, wrote: "Over the last year, the functions have been held mainly at the weekend and now we are hearing it midweek, resulting in my children unable to get to sleep on a school night."

The marquee, with decking and parking, was created at the site in 2008 at the cost of £250,000 so the farm could host weddings and conferences.

But it did not have planning permission from Swale council and officers ordered it to be dismantled after it failed to receive retrospective permission.

An appeal was lodged and the decision was overturned by the Planning Inspectorate after a public inquiry last June.

As a result up to 30 jobs were saved.