Plans to turn a vacant pub into six flats have been drawn up.

The application for the Hen and Chickens, in Chatham, was submitted to Medway Council earlier this month.

The boozer – known as The Hen and Chicks – in Luton High Street closed in 2019 and speculation about its future has been rife ever since.

It is understood the former long-term licensee died a few years before and a family member took over following his death.

When last orders were called at the once-popular public house, the brewery launched a bid to find a manager but nobody came forward and it was put on the market.

The pub was then set to become a Turkish restaurant and then a halal butchers – but neither happened.

Now plans have been submitted to turn one of Medway's oldest pubs into six residential flats and build a first and second floor side extension.

It includes alterations to the existing roof and construction of dormer windows to facilitate the conversion of the upper floors into apartments.

If approved, the former watering hole will include a single one-bedroom unit and five, two-bedroom units as well as three parking spaces.

You can view the application here.

Originally a farmhouse, which dates back to 1702, the Hen and Chicks, was converted into an ale house in 1746 and was frequented by brickmakers and agricultural workers.

Over the decades most of the once numerous pubs in Luton, which were used by dockyard workers and servicemen, have closed with many converted into homes.

At its peak, the Hen and Chicks was also a focal point for community activities.