The future of a Post Office is uncertain after the owners revealed plans to turn their long-standing convenience store into homes.

The Londis in Longport, Canterbury, has been a staple of the community for more than 40 years, and has hosted the St George’s Post Office since May 2014.

But plans submitted to Canterbury City Council by the Patel family reveal the property could be turned into housing.

In documents presented to the authority, the design company in charge of the project describes the current layout as lacking in “architectural merit”.

The firm says: "The existing buildings have been modified overtime to an extent that they have lost almost all of their architectural merit.

“The proposed designs hopes to bring back some of the lost character and reinstate the buildings to their original form.

“The design looks to reinstate the three properties into family homes. The proposed scheme enhances the design internally and externally of the three buildings.”

Londis and the Post Office currently occupy 15-16 Longport, which would be split into two and become four-bedroom family homes.

The properties, which are Grade II-listed, date back to the late 1800s and were initially housing before being converted into a shop in the early 1980s.

17 Longport, and the first and second floor of 15-16 Longport, is currently used as a 10-bed HMO (house of multiple occupation) - but would also be converted into a four-bed home.

If approved, the scheme would signal the demise of the Londis Longport shop, with the fate of the Post Office facility yet to be sealed.

Kirti Patel, 64, has been running the Longport Londis since 1982 and the Post Office for almost nine years.

She told KentOnline: “I think it is time for a change and I have to look at what will be good in 10 years time, especially with everything going online.

“I could lease the shop out but there’s no guarantee of who will move in and how long they’ll stay and we don’t want to be a nuisance to neighbours.

“Housing not only offers me greater financial security but is less of a burden on the area and will return the building to its original state. It wasn’t always a shop.

“There’s no timeframe yet. There are so many things that are to be decided, there could be unforeseen delays.”

Kirti, who previously oversaw the Post Office's move into the Longport property after it closed in nearby Lower Bridge Street, says she could use her experience to do so again.

The grandmother-of-two was keen to stress no decision had been made, talks were still ongoing and that “many different options” were available.

She added: “All I know for sure is that I don’t wish to retire or leave my job at the Post Office.”

The future of the Longport building has long been uncertain, with a plan to turn the store into a dental practice in 2019 never coming to fruition.

In January, Sturry lost its Post Office after chemist Paydens said it was no longer financially viable.

Residents of the village called the news "heartbreaking for the people in the community".