Plans to add a café and a guest house to a 600-year-old Grade-II listed building in the town centre have been submitted to the council.

Corpus Christi Hall, in Earl Street, Maidstone, the former home of Maidstone Grammar School, is thought to have been built in 1422, and could be in line for some major changes.

Most recently, the upper floors have been used as offices for barristers, while the ground floor has bee occupied by Spanish eatery La Taberna.

Its courtyard has been used by car rental company Avis and the historic site could see changes to two floors of the building.

If approved, the site, which is estimated to date back to the 14th century, will get a new café area on the ground floor, which will be associated with the Spanish restaurant, while four guest bedrooms with showers and a manager's flat and office are planned for the first floor.

The project wouldn't result in any changes to the exterior of the building and would improve the use of the building by the public, according to a planning statement.

Planning documents outlined how developers would take a cautious approach to the design of the facilities given the "sensitive location" of the building, which can be found at the bottom of Earl Street opposite Fremlin's Walk.

A planning statement said: "The council will expect proposals to respect the high quality and distinctive landscapes and settings of the borough.

"In order to achieve high quality design, the council expects that proposals will positively respond to and, where appropriate, enhance the character of their surroundings.

"It is important that development contributes to its context."

The origin of the Corpus Christi Hall remains a mystery, but it is later associated with the Fraternity of Corpus Christi and Maidstone Grammar School.

In the mid 1500s the property was handed over to the Crown and was later sold by King Edward VI to the town of Maidstone for £200 to house a grammar school.

However, it was temporarily closed just five years later after the town's sympathy with the protestant rebellion against Queen Mary by Sir Thomas Wyatt, of Allington Castle, in 1554 caused the forfeiture of the town's right to run a school.

It was later reopened in 1558 and didn't leave until 1871 when it moved to Tonbridge Road for 59 years.

In 1930 it moved to its current home in Barton Road.

The town centre building was also previously used as a wedding venue back in 2017, as well as hosting some ghost tours.

A heritage statement for the plans said: "The proposal retains the historical character, significant features and heritage values attributed to the listed building and, importantly, the proposed new changes will, as much as possible, blend perfectly with the established historical environment, and enhances an appreciation and significance of the building’s setting."

View the plans here, with reference 22/500685/FULL.