A long-empty seaside pub is set to be transformed into a Sri Lankan-inspired restaurant and cocktail bar.

Harry Marsh and Dilushan Fernando hope to open the plush eatery in the old Pier Hotel, on the corner of St George’s Terrace and Station Road, Herne Bay, next month.

The married couple, who already run Bay Leaf Coffee House in the centre of the town, have forked out about £100,000 on work to the site since they took it on in March.

Mr Marsh is hoping the addition of live music and LGBT events, as well as wine and gin-tasting evenings, will help bolster the Bay’s night-time offerings.

“We’ll be tentatively exploring that side of things,” the businessman said.

“We’ve heard there’s a demand for something like LGBT events in town. Quite a few local businesses have put some events on this year, which is the first I’ve seen.

“There seems to be this idea that you start your night in Herne Bay and end it in Margate or Canterbury.

“We’d like to try to offer something where you can stay here and have a good night.”

Mr Marsh expects the new restaurant to employ as many as 30 people, including a mixologist who will devise the bar’s cocktail menu.

It will serve curries “that we’ll put our own spin on”, vegan dishes and fresh seafood.

“We always like to do something a bit different, as we do with the café,” Mr Marsh added.

“It’ll be mainly focused on evening dining, but people will be able to come in and just have a drink at the bar.

“We’re hoping to open this side of the new year. When we took over in March, there was no kitchen at all – it was all empty rooms – so we had to put one in, and we’ve finished the decorating.

“We have the finishing touches to do, and then, aside from that, we need to finalise the staff.”

The Pier Hotel, which dates back to the 1800s, has previously been known as The Hope and Anchor, and Constables.

The former hotel above the old pub was converted into four flats and sold off in the 1990s. Meanwhile, the former boozer closed about eight years ago, having last been known as The Pier.

“It’s an amazing location. There’s no better spot in Herne Bay really, opposite the pier,” Mr Marsh added.

“It’s so unique and you can feel the history inside the building.”

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