Work has started to create a new music venue and nightclub in a former estate agents.

The Art Club, set for Dover, will also host a cafe and work space and those behind it hope to attract headline acts from the world of music, art and comedy to the town.

It will take over an empty unit previously used by Bairstow Eves estate agent in the recently renovated Market Square.

DJs Travis Skelton, Alfy Dunne and Rory Pye are behind the project and hope to transform the venue ready for a summer opening.

Mr Dunne, 22, said: “We want to rejuvenate the town and create something people want to come out for.

“I hope people will see it as something to look forward to.”

During the day, The Art Club will be a cafe with a co-working space, but by the time evening rolls in, it will become a bar with live music and events.

It can also be stripped down to become a nightclub at the weekend as the team have a late night licence until 3am.

The trio have been working in events for the past six years and are behind Section 82 festival, held in Dover.

The Art Club will be an extension to this, giving them a permanent base to host more regular events as they feel there is a need for more creative arts in the town.

“There is not anywhere in Dover that does what we want to do,” said Mr Skelton, 25.

“Most people will travel to London if they want a night out but we want to start bringing some headliners to Dover, to make the music scene better than it currently is.

“A decent, local night out is just non-existent in Dover and we want to bring out the next generation of music artists and DJs.”

Mr Dunne added: “We want to do events pretty much every weekend with a headline act once a month, at least.

“It’s not just music either, we want to host comedy events, open mic nights and everything in between.

“It’s called The Art Club because we want to cover all creative arts and be diverse.”

They chose the unit in Market Square as they feel it has become a “hotspot” after recent investment to transform the look of the area costing £3.6 million.

A water feature with four rings has been installed and the square now has a paved space for performance, more seating and lighting making it more pedestrian friendly.

Mr Dunne said: “The council is putting a lot of money into the town.

“It’s a good hotspot; it gets a lot of footfall. We are on the corner so we want to make it look nice and inviting for people.”

CGIs have been released which show how the inside of the venue could look, with seating, DJ booth and bar shown.

Once renovations are complete, there will also be a small pop-up kitchen were chefs can rent the space at different times to diversity the menu.

The Art Club will open from 8am to 11pm during the week and close at 3am on weekends.

This is not the only change to Dover’s nightlife in recent months.

Nearby venue Rhino and Bull’s has applied to extend its opening hours to 3am at weekends instead of the current 1am.

And in March, a decision was made forcing the Attic Bar in Church Street to close earlier following two reports of affray.

This came just months after its opening hours were extended.