By Hayley Robinson

A businessman is urging the town's people to back plans for a restaurant and wine bar in Sittingbourne High Street.

Martin Lukehurst, owner of the furniture store Gerald Lukehurst, has applied to Swale council for change of use of the ground floor area of the vacant premises at 1 to 5 High Street, Sittingbourne, to become an eatery.

The Old Bank building became Gerald Lukehurst's Sittingbourne showroom in 1983 until the business moved to Sittingbourne Retail Park in Mill Way in July this year.

A lack of queries from retailers to occupy the premises prompted Mr Lukehurst to apply for a change of use in the hope it will generate interest.

He said: "Nobody is particularly interested in reopening it as a shop. Sittingbourne High Street is not exactly Oxford Street so we were looking at other ways of bringing up that end of the High Street.

"It will just be the corner site, not the Bell Road site.

"I'm not going to be running it, I'm too busy with my own business. We would like a quality restaurant/wine bar to take it on, we're looking for someone upmarket.

"We've tried to engage the residents and we are hoping they will support it and embrace it."