A vacant unit on a main street that served as a travel agent for almost 40 years could become a new Asian-themed restaurant.

Plans have been submitted to Ashford Borough Council (ABC) for a new Kokoro restaurant.

The designated site is the former TUI branch in the town centre, on the corner of Ashford High Street and Bank Street.

If approved, the proposal would see the Grade II-listed 18th-century building become Kokoro’s latest sushi-themed restaurant.

The company was founded in Kingston in June 2010 and currently has 73 branches across the UK, including five in Kent in Bromley, Canterbury, Maidstone, Sevenoaks and Tunbridge Wells.

In addition to sushi, it also offers dishes like sashimi and hot dishes like tofu and chicken katsu curry.

Planning documents submitted with the application state: “The proposed change of use from a former travel agency shop to a coffee shop unit is relatively aesthetically pleasing and will provide a socio-economic framework for the community.

“This will improve and enrich the street scene and public provision in the area and benefit the Ashford High Street area.”

Additional information adds that the ground floor restaurant would offer between 10 and 30 seats, like other Kokoro restaurants.

The 99.5m² plot would also be open from 11am to 9pm, seven days a week, with takeaway options likely to be offered once negotiated.

The proposed unit previously served several travel agencies since trading as Lunn Poly in the mid-1980s.

The company, however, left Ashford in 2002 and ceased trading completely in November 2005.

This led to the store becoming a branch of Thomson where it remained for over a decade.

In 2015, TUI, which had acquired Thomson several years previously, announced that it would be removed from its website, branches and aircraft. TUI then began negotiating on this unit in 2017.

However, the branch moved to County Square Shopping Center in 2019 to replace the now-closed Thomas Cook Group following the company’s liquidation.

This means the proposed corner lot has remained vacant ever since.

Find out what planning applications apply to you by visiting the public notice portal.

A decision on the request is expected by December 4.