A burnt out barge moored on the River Medway will finally be removed after being damaged in a blaze last year.

Maidstone Borough Council (MBC) has reached an agreement with the owners of The Embankments Bar and Restaurant after the floating restaurant caught alight in February 2020.

The vessel, a converted French motor-sailing barge kept near Archbishop's Palace, was seriously damaged in the fire, thought to have been started by a faulty iPad which was charging.

It took seven fire crews to bring it under control and resulted in the nearby A229 Bishops Way being closed to traffic for several hours because of the heavy smoke.

Now the barge and business, which launched in 2009 and hasn't reopened since the fire, will be towed away and the structures on the riverbank will be removed.

The company surrendered its lease on the riverbank to the council after enforcement action was taken against it in July.

A spokesman for Maidstone council said: "For The Embankments Bar and Restaurant, there is the opportunity to re-establish the business in a new location with a modern new design.

"The agreement also resolves the disputes over planning permission and the lease terms in relation to the Barge and the Pergola on the riverbank.

"It has been agreed between the parties that these proceedings in relation to these disputes will not now be pursued.

"The council and the owners of The Embankments are both content that this is a good solution for all parties and brings a satisfactory end to what had become a long-running and unwelcome dispute."

The business had previously been granted permission by the borough council to extend onto the riverbank with an enclosed terrace, which is currently surrounded by blue hoardings.

But, plans for a new design would have needed revised planning consent.

Removing the burnt structure will allow the local authority to progress with its plans for Archbishop's Palace.

A public consultation was opened in September on the future of the Grade I-listed medieval building which has been owned by the borough council since 1904, but since November 2005 it has been let to KCC for use as a Register Office and Coroner's Court.

Possible plans for the site included using the building as flexible working space with different sized office and meeting spaces that can be booked in advance, seeing it turned into a training and seminar centre building or maintaining its current use as a wedding venue and extending it to offer receptions and possible overnight accommodation.

Other options included transforming it into a 12-bedroom boutique hotel with river views and a restaurant, using it for commercial mixed use with individual office units or having a mixed cultural use as a wedding and seminar venue with the offer of a gallery and exhibition space, and a café.

The public consultation ended at the end of October and the council is evaluating the results.