Work has begun on the site of a former pub which closed down more than 10 years ago.

The Green Dragon in Gillingham dated back to 1776 and had a colourful history before it shut in 2008.

It was known to have smuggling connections in the 18th century and inquests were held there in the 1800s, including the inquest into the deaths of two men who were killed in an explosion at Gillingham gas works in 1853.

In the early 20th century a whale was washed up on the shore nearby and for many years the bones were on display in the pub in Church Street.

The pub sold at auction in for £250,000 in June 2012.

The site has a long planning history with permission first granted in 2007 to demolish the pub and replace it with 16 flats.

Another application was approved in 2013 for 14 flats. This was followed by two more applications in 2014 and 2015 but these were withdrawn. Permission was granted for 17 flats in 2018.

The latest application to be approved was in 2019, for 16 flats arranged over the ground, first, second and third floors with ground floor parking. The blueprints include 22 residents' parking spaces and four visitor spaces.