A bowling alley is to open in Canterbury.

Monarch Leisure has been granted planning permission for the centre in part of the Aldi building in St George’s Place.

The company got approval after submitting a revised application in which it reduced its proposed opening hours and placed less emphasis on the centre as a drinking venue.

It had been already been granted a premises licence with opening hours until 1.30am from Sunday to Wednesday and until 2.30am from Thursday to Saturday.

But those hours were rejected when the application first came to the city council's development and control committee which heard numerous objections from residents.

They feared the venue was a front for a nightclub and their lives would be made a misery by people leaving in the early hours.

The revised application is still for eight bowling lanes, which is the most the design of the building can accommodate.

But the layout of the entertainment and drinking and eating areas have been redesigned.

The company also pledged zero tolerance towards bad behaviour with a "behave or be banned" policy.

The committee granted planning permission to the revised opening hours of 9am to midnight Sunday to Wednesday and 9am to 1am Thursday to Saturday, on the condition that nightclub type use was prohibited.