Award-winning Turkish restaurant Alim-Et is planning to open a new venue next year.

The family-run business, which has built a strong reputation at its site in London Road, Larkfield, will open an additional restaurant and take-away at Sunley House, in Middle Row, Maidstone.

The owners have purchased the whole four-storey building but say only the ground floor and basement will be used for the food venue, while the other three floors will remain as office space.

Building work has been ongoing throughout this year, and it is hoped the new branch will open in the first half of next year.

"There's not much left to do and the building is nearly done," said co-owner Ahmet Carbcabuk, who runs Alim-Et with brother Ali.

"They need to do the steel fixings, the doors and handles.

"They still need to finish it off, and it's going to take another couple of months. It's been a big job, and it's an old building.

It will be a restaurant and takeaway, but we don't know the exact design yet. It could be finished in spring."

Most recently home to sports bar Bar 6, the building was originally built as a regional head office for Barclays Bank, and opened in 1960, until the bank left the premises in the mid-1990s.

Since then the ground floor has been home to a succession of bars, including Bar Coast, V Bar, Breeze Bar, Players Coyotes, Bar Delicious, and Oxygen.

Alim-Et's venue in Larkfield was established in 2017 and has two kitchens; one for its take-away and the other for its restaurant specialising in Turkish meze and grilled delicacies.

It's name is a combination of the names of the brothers that founded the restaurant, Ali and Ahmet, and a play on the word ‘et’, the Turkish word for meat.

The popular eatery was named best takeaway in the regional category of the British Kebab Awards for two years running in 2019 and 2020.

Alim-Et says it operates on "an ethos of fresh meat and produce, concentrating on rich flavours and culinary techniques that give our dishes a contemporary edge in order to appeal to all tastes," adding: "All our ingredients are sourced from reputable suppliers and 95% of our dishes are made in-house by our experienced chefs. We take pride in the food we prepare and strive to maintain the high standards in quality, tastes and flavours that we hope will make us stand out."

The company currently employs more than 25 staff including butchers, fishmongers and bakers.

A planning statement submitted by TJS drawing outlines the planned works, as: "The proposed upgrading of the ground floor to a restaurant to approximately 2/3 and a takeaway to 1/3.

"This will require the upgrading of the electrical installation and décor, with a separation wall and picture window, that separate the two areas.

"Externally, there will be minimal upgrading of the doors to be in-keeping with the current theme.

"On the basement floor, this will also be upgraded electrically and to the décor, but will mainly be the supporting areas of food storage and preparation areas, for the restaurant and takeaway."

The statement concludes: "The proposed upgrading of the ground floor and basement will enhance the condition and presentation of the building, whilst maintaining the character and theme of the building.

"The proposed works would not impact in any adverse way, to the character or exterior of the building.

"The character of this listed building will be protected and its quality improved, to ensure that it is preserved for continued enjoyment by future generations."