A nationwide supermarket chain will soon be opening a new store in Kent, sharing the site with a much-loved Indian restaurant.

Tesco Express will be setting up shop in Heath Road, Coxheath, with established eatery Spice Lounge.

Plans released in June last year showed the restaurant will have to share the land with a Tesco Express, which will also feature an ATM.

The store is set to be around 3,800sq ft, significantly reducing the size of the eatery next door.

Spice Lounge in Coxheath opened in 2007, serving Bangladeshi and Indian cuisine, along with Buffet Sundays.

Over the years the restaurant has shut and reopened multiple times, with it first closing in 2019, after plans were submitted to knock down the establishment and build retirement flats in its place.

However, councillors at Maidstone Borough Council (MBC) refused the application and the restaurant reopened for Christmas later that year.

The restaurant then shut again throughout Covid lockdowns and reopened indoors last May, but it has been closed since July 3 for building works.

Speaking with the Kent Messenger last year, owner Anhar Ali reveals that business has not exactly been booming.

He said: “I think this is a better option for myself and the village. In the last 12 months, we have been hit quite hard and unable to operate the restaurant at times.

"Our collection service has been doing quite well but the premises are pretty large to operate a takeaway-only operation.

"With the kind of turnover we are getting, it would be sufficient if we were a much smaller unit - this works for us."

He added: "We are reducing the restaurant from more than 100 covers to around 40 covers. We will still continue the collection business.

"The village doesn’t lose out because there will still be a restaurant, albeit a much smaller one, and we will have the retail unit at the rear."

There will be 13 parking spaces at Tesco and five or six additional spots for Spice Lounge customers.

A spokeswoman from Tesco said: "We’re always looking for better ways to serve our customers and we’re looking forward to opening our new Express store in Coxheath in April."

The new Tesco Express will be opening its doors to the public on Thursday, April 14 and the Spice Lounge restaurant will reopen on May 10.