A veterinary clinic will be opening in part of a shop formerly occupied by Wilko.

The hardware shop in Swanley Square Shopping Centre shut after the company went into administration in August 2023.

More than 400 stores were shut across the country, and 12,500 jobs were lost.

The parent firm of The Range, CDS Superstores, bought the Wilko brand for £5million and many of its branch locations have also snapped up by Poundland and B&M.

After shutting in Swalney, the former Wilko unit was split into several units – with PureGym moving into the part of the building in February.

The chain was initially scheduled to open just before Christmas, however this had to be delayed due to flooding.

The 6,500 sq ft venue is open 24/7 and boasts “hundreds of pieces of state-of-the-art equipment”.

In December, plans were submitted to open a vets at the vacant part of the site which will be called Swanley Veterinary Surgery.

Sevenoaks District Council has now granted plans for associated signage at the site.

A new shopfront will be installed as well as a ramp and a bin store.

One objection was made for the site, stating that “a new veterinarian clinic is not needed in this location”.

However, Swanley Town Council, KCC Highways, and the Environment Agency raised no objections.