The owner of a building once used to house a Chinese takeaway has revealed plans to convert the restaurant into a village’s “first micropub”.

Christopher Reeves owns the site in Herne Bay Road, in Swalecliffe, near Whitstable, and says he wants the tavern to be filled with “the sound of conversation”.

The property next to Swalecliffe Library was once home to Sun Sun, a takeaway that specialised in Cantonese and Peking-style cuisine.

Mr Reeves told KentOnline: “In the current economic gloom, a new light is starting to shine.

“The former Chinese takeaway is being converted into Swalecliffe’s first micropub.

“The ethos of a micropub is a quiet place filled only with the sound of conversation as people sit and chat to new and old friends, while enjoying a pint of real ale straight from the cask or local cider, wines and spirits.

“It is hoped that it will become a local community hub where people can regularly meet to catch up with others who quickly become familiar faces.”

Sun Sun served a number of takeaway staples including chop suey, sweet and sour chicken, crispy duck and Cantonese-style omelettes.

It earned a score of 4.4 through reviews - the last of which was written three years ago - left on Google.

Mr Reeves, who lives in Tankerton, believes the proposed boozer could be open as soon as this summer, with work on the building about to commence.

It comes after a licensing application for the as-yet-unnamed establishment was submitted to Canterbury City Council.

If given the green light, the micropub will be open between 11am and 11pm Monday to Thursday, 11am to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays and until 10pm on Sundays.

Mr Reeves says the premises will have no gaming machines.

Meanwhile, he wants to use the garden to play bat and trap.

“There will be a single bar with no jukebox or gaming machines, save for a vintage bar billiards table,” the landlord added.

“We are also hoping to utilise the garden area to bring back the old Kent game of Bat and Trap.

“We want to establish a micropub team to join the local league.”

Bat and trap is a bat-and-ball game that is played primarily in Kent.

The local Canterbury & District league was founded in 1922.

Usually played at pubs, it is an outdoor game that uses an area slightly shorter than a cricket pitch.

The game is considered to be an ancestor of cricket.