The future of a derelict hotel is once again in doubt after planning permission was overturned for a third time.

Highly controversial plans to build a petrol station on the site of the 114-room Tollgate Hotel were approved for a third time in February much to the disdain of the owner of the neighbouring Shell Tollgate Service Station.

Almost 1,000 people objected to the proposal for the 2.5-acre plot, off Watling Street, Gravesend, which would have seen the hotel, which closed in 2006, torn down.

But following a legal challenge from Simon Privett, who owns the nearby services, permission will once again be rescinded.

The decision was made due to the potential for the site to come back into use as a hotel, one of four aspects of Mr Privett's appeal.

While it is not yet official as a judge needs to rubber stamp it, that process is academic.

It's the third time BP's plans for the site have been scuppered. In 2014 and 2015 a larger scale scheme, which would have seen a McDonald's drive-thru and M&S Food court built alongside the garage, were approved by Gravesham council before its decisions were quashed on appeal.

Mr Privett lost 45% of trade following the A2 work and has since invested more than £1million in his business, just yards away from the hotel site.

He said he was "chuffed to bits" with the decision, adding: "The billion dollar question is will they come back again? How many times can someone lose an appeal and keep coming back?"

The site was bought for £4.85 million by the Highways Agency under a compulsory purchase order in 2006 to make way for the A2 widening scheme but since 2009 has been completely disused.

The latest vision would have seen half the site turned into a garage with the remaining land being kept for future development and used as a meadow until then.

Gravesham's planning committee approved the plan by six to one, noting that although there were significant objections competition between businesses were not a material planning concern.

BP and Highways England, which still owns the site, have been approached for comment.