Plans for a bowling alley in a town centre have been approved by councillors.

The Light Cinema, which is opening a branch in Sittingbourne , as part of the town's multi-million pound regeneration , submitted plans to Swale council in July to convert the underneath of the venue from restaurant space into a nine-lane bowling alley.

The decision gives permission to change the use of one of the ground floor restaurant units on the new Bourne Place leisure quarter, opposite the train station, that will share an entrance with the cinema above.

The bowling alley will join the 63-bed Travelodge hotel, eight-screen cinema, and restaurants including Nando's and Loungers.

Cllr Roger Truelove, leader of the council, said: “This is great news for the development, for Sittingbourne and the borough.

“A bowling alley is something different that broadens the appeal of the town to help attract more visitors, increase spending in the area and support the local economy, which is vital as the impact of the pandemic begins to be more widely felt.

“But it is through things like this – a business seeing the potential of Sittingbourne in the long run – that we can try to minimise the impact, so when things return to normal the town will be in a better position to thrive.”

Cllr Monique Bonney, cabinet member for economy and property at the council, added: “This is really exciting news for Sittingbourne and should be a major attraction for the borough.

“When we formed the administration, Cllr Truelove and I met with The Light who mentioned other schemes of theirs with planned bowling alleys.

“For years, local people have been asking for a bowling alley, so we asked them to think about if it could work here. They did their research, agreed it was viable and came back with these plans.

“There were issues with needing to move around restaurant units, but Nando's were incredibly supportive, and Pizza Express are having their own well-documented difficulties, so with a bit of effort from all involved, we’ve made it work.

“It’s in all our interests – the council, the tenants, and local people – for us to have a more diverse offer that will be less dependent on restaurants than the original scheme. If we want our town centres to thrive, we need a broader offer to attract more visitors to support our local businesses and jobs.”

The plans went before Swale council's Planning Committee last night (Thursday).

James Morris, CEO of The Light Cinema, said the firm was delighted with the decision.

He added: "Driven by the idea of creating a destination to Meet, Watch and Play, we think it will complement our unique social and meeting spaces, eight-screen cinema with recliners and couples seats, and our street food-style dining experiences perfectly.

“We would also like to thank Swale council for their support, and we can't wait to welcome everyone to The Light very soon.”

The cinema shell was completed in June and is now being fitted out. It is due to be completed in October 2020.

Read more: All the latest news from Sittingbourne