A Sainsbury's is in line for a £20 million expansion into what used to be a department store.

The supermarket at the Angel Centre in Tonbridge is to be extended and will fill what was Beales, which has been empty since 2020.

The former department store sub-leased the building until it fell into administration and closed shortly after.

Since November 2022, the town's Conservative Party has led a campaign to refill the empty unit under the heading “Three years empty is plenty”.

To date, about 2,000 people have signed a petition which asked the supermarket to look at ways to use the space.

Tonbridge and Malling MP Tom Tugendhat described the plan as “a fantastic investment in our community” in a building that’s “been empty for far too long”.

"They're [Sainsbury's] going to expand the store. It's going to be the biggest in the area,” he added.

"That is a wonderful vote of confidence in Tonbridge. It's also an important part of the redevelopment of the old Angel ground.

"That is all going to be started as soon as possible and is a massive piece of work for our community now.

"This is only possible because so many of you joined the Tonbridge Conservatives in campaigning for it in the ‘three years empty is plenty’ campaign.

“We all joined together and we have made this happen.

"So thank you to Sainsbury's. Thank you to all of you who joined us. Let's see this fantastic redevelopment and don't forget Sainsbury's will stay open throughout so use it as you normally would."

Patrick Dunne, Sainsbury’s director of property, procurement and EV ventures, said: “We’re delighted to share our plans to transform Sainsbury’s Tonbridge, which will put to great use a space that we appreciate has been empty for some time.

“Our proposals will also create new jobs and deliver a completely refreshed store for our customers, representing a major investment in Tonbridge that will showcase the best of what Sainsbury’s has to offer.

“We’re excited to present them to the local community and hear people’s views.”

The proposed expansion will see the creation of 50 new jobs.

It will also broaden its range of goods to include more non-food items from its brands such as Habitat and Tu.

The store will make changes to its Argos section as well as toilets and checkout areas.

The building itself will also be redesigned to help reduce its carbon footprint, with Sainsbury’s hoping to become net zero by 2035.

Six new electric vehicle charging ports will be installed in the car park.

In 2013, plans were submitted to regenerate the Angel Centre with Sainsbury's looking to invest £70m into a new complex including a leisure centre and cinema.

However, these plans were scrapped one year later after they were deemed no longer "financially viable" by the company.

Work on the expansion is to start as soon as possible and it is estimated it will be completed by the end of 2025.

Sainsbury’s is holding a consultation event from Thursday, March 14 to March 28 to discuss its plans to the public and get feedback on their proposal.

It will be in store from 10am to 7pm.