An empty unit at a £75m leisure complex is set to become an office as bosses struggle to find a restaurant to take on the space.

The Elwick Place development in Ashford opened in December 2018, with big-name chains initially expected to fill the units underneath the Travelodge hotel and Picturehouse cinema.

But despite "active marketing", chiefs say there has been no demand to take on all of the units, with Macknade the only food and drink operator currently running from the site.

Now Stanhope PLC - which built the scheme in partnership with Ashford Borough Council (ABC) - has submitted plans to open an office in the unit next to the Picturehouse entrance.

It is not known which company will operate from the unit, but Stanhope bosses say the planning application is a "flexible change of use", meaning a restaurant remains an option and could be "reinstated quickly" if the office use ceased.

In the planning application submitted to ABC, Stanhope says how the proposed change is needed so the unit can "contribute to the vitality and viability of Elwick Place immediately".

It added: "The proposed office use in this location will complement the existing uses already operating in Elwick Place and the wider town centre.

"Importantly, it will enable a vacant unit to be brought back into use immediately."

To view the plans, search for reference 20/00473/AS on ABC's planning portal.

Head to our business page for all of the latest news about businesses in Kent

Read more: All the latest news from Ashford