The former Olive Branch pub and Rainbow Chinese in Westwell Leacon, near Charing, could become veterans

A former pub turned restaurant occupying a prime location on the A Road could be converted into a veterinary clinic under new plans.

The owners of Rainbow Chinese in Westwell Leacon, near Charing, hope to transform the long-vacant building into an Olive Tree Veterinary Clinic.

Before becoming a restaurant, this establishment on the A20 Ashford Road operated as the Olive Branch pub until the 1990s.

Now plans submitted to Ashford Borough Council (ABC) show how the ground floor would be reconfigured to include three consultation rooms if the proposals get the green light.

The scheme also includes two operating theatres, a preparation room, an X-ray room and a dental office.

The ground floor, which is currently a residential building, will house an administrative office, as well as a staff toilet and sleeping accommodation for the night duty veterinarian when required.

It also includes a small extension at the rear of the building which will serve as an isolation kennel for dogs.

It will be built on the site of a previously demolished extension which is in a “dilapidated state”.

The existing car park will remain the same but two new staff parking spaces will be created in front of the building.

Once open, the surgical department will create three full-time jobs and one part-time job.

The latest proposals, submitted by Robert and Lindsay Lawrence, come as plans to extend the building and convert it into four apartments were rejected by the ABC in 2020.

The scheme included a small courtyard and four parking spaces.

At the time, Charing Parish Council objected to the conversion because councilors believed the garden was too small and did not have room for electric vehicles.

Find out about the scheduling apps that impact you by visiting Public Notice Portal.

He also believed that losing the home sales business would be contrary to his Neighborhood Plan.

In announcing its decision to refuse, the ABC said there was “no overriding justification or need for the accommodations”.

Before this, another proposal to turn the restaurant into a detached house was approved, but it never came forward.

The decision on the veterinarian’s application will be made by ABC planners.