A London businessman has revealed ambitious plans to transform a former town centre nightspot into a bar and sourdough pizza restaurant.

Brewery boss James Yeomans has taken over the Vinnie’s site in Bank Street, Ashford, on a 20-year lease.

The 28-year-old, who has run the Woolwich-based Hop Stuff Brewery since 2013, plans to start fitting out the building in the new year.

“This is our first site outside of London and it seemed very sensible for us to look at Ashford,” he said.

“We are taking a bit of a gamble, but I think there is a huge amount of potential in the town – and we wouldn’t be doing it if we didn’t see that.

“We have a great team up in London, but we will have to attract new talent in Ashford.”

Father-of-one Mr Yeomans hopes to open the bar – which will be called the Taproom – in February.

The Shadoxhurst resident will be selling craft beers together with wood-fire sourdough pizzas.

“At Hop Stuff Brewery, one of our big focuses is making craft beer as accessible as possible,” he added.

“In Ashford, there are not a lot of places for people to go and get a great pizza or pint of decent craft beer.

“There is a real demand for a better quality product in Ashford – and our prices will be cheaper than Pizza Express.

“We have our own beer, but we also buy in beer locally.”

Mr Yeomans, who runs the Hop Stuff Brewery with his wife, Emma, has already opened other Taprooms in Islington and Deptford, and says the surge in new development in Ashford attracted him to the town.

“It seemed like a really exciting opportunity to open in Ashford. We do not have high prices, and it will be very similar to our places in London.”