Residents living in a new housing development will have to wait a longer for a convenience store on their estate.

The Co-op is set to move into Blossom Street in Spring Acres in Bapchild, near Sittingbourne, and it was initially thought the shop would be up and running in the summer.

At a Swale council sub-licencing committee in April, Richard Arnott representing Co-op said: "All being well it will open as a convenience store in August”.

But now, neither the retail giant nor Hyde Homes which is developing units A and B of a hybrid three-storey building, say this was the plan.

It is understood Mr Arnott spoke in error and that the timeline for opening the store was always in 2025.

The Co-op is not responsible for the construction the units which it will lease from the developer.

A Co-op spokesman told KentOnline this week it is “not in a position to confirm a launch date at this time”.

He added: “Co-op is continually looking for new locations and is delighted to have the opportunity to open the new store to serve and support the Bapchild community.

“We will lease the completed store, and details are currently being finalised between Co-op and the developer and, the developer’s main contractor.

“It is too early to confirm when the store will launch but it will work to operate at the heart of local community life, and have the range, choice and added services to serve and support the community, conveniently.”

A Hyde spokesperson said: “We are really looking forward to welcoming the Co-op to Spring Acres and are in the final stages of our discussions to agree terms.

“We hope to wrap those up in the coming weeks so that the Co-op can start fitting out their store in the new year, as per our original plan.”

The other units to the left of the building are currently vacant.

The Co-op could throw up issues for potential supermarkets looking to transform the nearby Fox and Goose pub into a convenience store.

The boozer, which dates back to the 17th century, closed in May 2022 due to increasing costs, rent prices and utility bills. It has been vacant since.

It was sold in November by Fleurets, a leisure property specialist, for £445,000.

It is unknown who the buyer is but the former landlady, Rebecca Baker, told KentOnline in August 2022 that a kebab shop owner had viewed the property and said she had been told Sainsbury's had also shown interest.

The Spring Acres retail units were given full approval by the council in 2019 as part of the larger development – then labelled Stones Farm.

The estate is made up of 311 homes but was just one of the applications to build homes in Bapchild.

In 2016, the council granted permission in principle to build between 550 and 600 homes.

Co-op has around 2,400 franchise stores in the UK.