A former bicycle shop is to go under the hammer after plans to turn it into a three-bedroom home were approved.

Curwen’s Cycle Repairs shop had been a high street staple in Deal for 37 years but the unit has sat empty since the business closed in 2022.

Plans to turn it into a three-bedroom home with three bathrooms were approved in March last year with architects Urban & Rural, on behalf of applicant Sean Zimdahl, saying there is a “desperate need” for housing in the town.

The firm added the plans could help the high street “evolve” to suit a world where the “internet has disrupted the traditional economic model”.

The unit is now up for auction with Clive Emson for offers between £340,000 and £360,000 plus fees.

The auction is taking place online and is due to end today (Wednesday).

Jon Rimmer, auction appraiser, said: “The conversion would match it with other properties along this stretch of road.

“It is close to Deal’s seafront and town centre which has a railway station.

“Builders will be attracted to this opportunity.”

While in the high street, the site is not within the primary shopping area of Deal.

Documents say over the years, the shop has been “significantly altered” with various “mismatched extensions” at the back which have been left in a “poor state of repair”.

As a result, the current extension to the rear will be demolished and a new one with a roof light will be built in its place.

The front of the property would remain largely unchanged.

Two of the bedrooms will come with en-suite bathrooms and a separate family bathroom will also be included.

Also up for auction in Dover, a plot in Hillside Road is also being sold with planning permission for three houses.

The freehold guide price is £150,000.