An empty pub with a 150-year history is to become a fast-food takeaway.

The imposing building on the corner of Gillingham High Street and Skinner Street was once the Prince Albert pub, named after Queen Victoria’s husband. It dates back to the 1850s.

The pub closed in 2004 and was reopened as the Edge bar in 2007. The venue closed at the beginning of the year and is now boarded up.

It will undergo a complete transformation to be turned into a Burger King.

The fast-food chain has confirmed the plans but could not tell the Messenger when it would open its doors or how many jobs it would create.

A spokesman for the chain said: “We can confirm that a Burger King restaurant will be opening at this location, and we will provide additional information as it becomes available.”

Burger King has more than 600 branches across the country. In November last year it became the first fast-food chain to be allowed to sell alcohol in the UK after a successful bid for a licence for its branch in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. It is thought more applications could follow.

Burger King has three branches in Medway – in Chatham High Street, at the Dockside Outlet Shopping Centre and at the M2 services in Gillingham.

A branch at Hempstead Valley Shopping Centre closed when the old food court shut.

Fashion store New Look is set to move into Hempstead Valley's extension.

New Look will be relocating to a much larger premises in the new part of the mall which is still under construction.

It was originally thought the extension, where the old food court was, would be home to just one large store but it has now been revealed it will be two units. The other is rumoured to be TK Maxx.

New shops are also on the way in Strood after B&Q shut its store at Strood Retail park.

The branch , which has been trading for 30 years, is to be replaced with three smaller shops, as well as a cafe and a 24-hour gym on the upper floor.

The gym will be run by The Gym Group chain and will be low-cost and aimed at shift workers. The other tenants are to be confirmed.

It is part of a revamp of Strood Retail Park which aims to make the area more inviting to shoppers from the town centre.

B&Q divisional director Heidi Reynolds said: “B&Q is committed to our customers in Kent and we will be sorry to move our business from the Strood store after 30 years of successful trading.

“We look forward to welcoming our Strood customers to our Gillingham and other local stores.”