A new community cafe has opened inside a historic town-centre events venue.

The Lounge at Acacia Hall in Dartford invited customers to come in for a cup of coffee and a slice of cake earlier this week.

The brand new cafe promises to also offer a place to find information on local community groups, charities and activities happening in the area.

Run by Dartford council and Crossways Community Church it has plans to hold special community days and other events.

Council leader Jeremy Kite and Mayor Paul Cutler were among its first customers.

A Dartford Borough Council spokesperson said: “The Council brought Acacia up to date so that it could become a great community asset for everyone in Dartford.

“We’re proud to work with Crossways Community Church to bring The Lounge to local people and create a new space where our communities can come together.

“Make sure you pop in and support this great business. We’re working to find appropriate uses for all of the buildings at Acacia so that this great local area continues to be revitalised.”

Large parts of the Grade II listed Acacia Hall estate have been revamped recently as part of a multi-million pound overhaul of the site.

The historic events venue in Dartford town centre was most recently used as a temporary home for the town’s library services while the main building in Central Park received a makeover.

Works were delayed by the onset of the Covid-19 which also led to rising costs – but the project has now been completed, as well as related River Darent restoration works.

Following its completion, the Acacia Estate now boasts five buildings, including a Victorian mansion house, a sports hall and a former coach house.