Kings Hill, first developed in 1989, has sprawled ever wider for three decades and each time I visit hundreds more homes have mushroomed.

Mirroring this mass house building, I notice a third supermarket has moved into the ‘village’, near West Malling, to join Asda and Waitrose.

Despite an ever-swelling population and the introduction of an Aldi, this massive development is still served by just one pub.

The Spitfire, on Liberty Square, was built 10 years after the first house went up and 23 years later still holds a privileged, unchallenged position at the heart of the sprawl.

I hadn’t visited since Shepherd Neame splashed £1m on renovating the place a few years ago and was interested to see how it has changed.

We entered through the slightly tropical looking back gate and walked through the garden, which now has a well-developed kids’ playground and covered dining area protected by the same sort of awning Sheps has encouraged many of its pubs to install.

The vast majority of pumps were off – no Masterbrew, no Whitstable Bay and, most surprisingly absent here, not even any Spitfire.

The only one on was Late Red, Sheps own 4.5% copper-coloured autumn bitter so I went for that and dutifully purchased Mrs SD’s usual large Sauvignon Blanc.

The wine was pretty decent and the pint not bad at all, quite woody with a rich, slightly nutty flavour that slots right into autumn.

So, the drinks are fine, what about the pub? Where did all that £1m go?

I’d previously written The Spitfire off as a fairly bland pub, with a lacklustre clientele and non-imaginative management, so has a huge refurbishment changed the place?

The centre of the pub feels more open, a massive, modern log-burner has been installed and the outside area has been improved enormously, but these things aside I’d revert to my original opinion. I just can’t get excited about this place, it’s a good job the fire wasn’t on or I’d have nodded off for sure, there’s zero atmosphere.

The quiz machine has gone, there’s still no pool or darts, there’s a big screen above the fire (not switched on), one large electronic fruit machine and plenty of trendy looking furnishings.

Strangely, a small office-style area, complete with shelves full of files, has been installed in the centre of the pub and staff take it in turns to sit in the space at a computer and ignore everything else going on around them.

There were plenty of staff on duty for a quiet lunchtime, six at least, and everyone, except the manager, was wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with Shep's American pale ale, Bear Island.

So little was going on I took a wander out of the bar to take a look at the rest of the pub.

I was going to take the lift upstairs to the Lancaster Bar but when the doors opened it was being used to store black bin bags. Taking the stairs instead I walked in to find a couple sitting around on stacked chairs and tables sharing a packed lunch with their kids.

Back downstairs the clock had ticked on and we were joined by a gaggle of either yummy mummies or childminders pushing a fleet of suitably trendy, expensive looking buggies. Fortunately, as soon as the rug rats found their voices to complain about the pub they were swiftly wheeled through the large glass doors and taken outside.

There were already several people sitting in the large garden taking advantage of the last rays of seasonal sunshine but they soon supped up and moved on once the screamers arrived.

To be fair the work put into improving this outside area has paid off, it’s the inside of the pub which is sadly less impressive and I couldn’t help thinking if it had local competition this place could struggle.

There are designated areas for dining, which are well presented, and, apart from not having beer of the same name, the pub takes full advantage of the rich Spitfire heritage.

The toilets were clearly included in the makeover but keeping them fresh and clean on a regular, daily basis appears to be more of a challenge for the staff.

The real problem is the staff just don’t have any interest in the place and this ambivalent attitude transfers to their dealings with customers.

It’s a great shame but little has changed here – bland pub, bland music, bland clientele.

Bring on some decent competition.

The Spitfire, 1 Liberty Square, Kings Hill, West Malling ME19 4AU

Decor: The furniture has been well renovated and in parts the pub is both comfortable, and tastefully decorated, but overall it’s fairly bland and the garden outshines anything inside. ***

Drink: It was disappointing not to have more options available on draft, but theLate Red autumn ale is a decent seasonal pint. Mrs SD described the Sauvignon Blanc as a decent enough, middle-of-the-road white. **

Price: The nutty, copper-coloured pint of Late Red cost me just shy of a fiver at £4.90 and a large glass of Sauvignon Blanc was £6.80. **

Staff: I did ask the barmaid why there was so little available on tap but she just shook her head and said: “No idea”. Sadly it feels as if the team here has switched off – they weren’t rude, just not engaged. **

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