Work has begun on a new veterinary practice which will be opening next year.

Kent-based veterinary group Pennard Vets signed a lease on a three-storey former office building in Sevenoaks in the summer.

The 11,500 sq ft practice, which claims it will be “one of the largest and most advanced in the south east”, is part of a £3.5 million investment programme.

There will be separate dog, cat and exotic wards, a CT scanner, a dental suite and a bereavement room, as well as a 24-hour emergency hospital.

Work is expected to finish next spring and the group will move from its current Sevenoaks practice. The new building will also create new jobs.

Pennard Vets was founded in Sevenoaks in 1890 and has practices in Allington, Borough Green, Langley Park, Maidstone, Sevenoaks, Tonbridge and West Malling.

Pennard Vets director Matthew Flann said: “This expansion follows years of planning and searching for the right premises, but when this building became available, we immediately knew it was right for us.

“It’s very modern with plenty of parking and is highly accessible, as well as being very close to our current practice.

“Crucially it gives us an ideal layout, as well as being more than twice as big as our existing site.

“It will enable work to flow smoothly and efficiently, as well as giving us scope to grow our team further in-line with our ongoing expansion programme, and as part of this we’re already recruiting for veterinary nurses across all our practices.”