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A curry house is ramping up its presence in a village by taking over a one-time funeral home.
The former Angels funeral parlour in Heath Road, Coxheath, closed in April of last year after 15 years on the site, with the business transferring to new premises in Tovil Green.
Now the building — which still bears the signage from a previous use from two decades ago as Dillons newsagents — is set to be given a new lease of life as a hot food takeaway service following planning permission being granted.
The property is owned by Anhar Ali, who also runs the Spice Lounge Bangladeshi and Indian restaurant just metres away.
Agents for Mr Ali said business was good but it could not keep up with the demand for takeaway food for local delivery and conversion of the funeral home would enable it to fulfil that need.
Although the new business would cater for walk-in customers, it is expected the majority of the trade would come via orders placed with online food ordering platforms, JustEat, Deliveroo and UberEats.
The business would employ three people and there would be two tandem staff parking spaces created alongside the building.
There would also be room for four mopeds for use by the delivery drivers, who would be separately employed by the delivery companies.
Mr Ali said that any drop-in customers who arrived by car could park in the car park of either the adjacent Tesco Store or the Spice Lounge itself, both of which he owns.
There is a flat on the first floor of the property, which will remain, and Mr Ali has reached an agreement to let it to Maidstone council for three years.
Council planners said the loss of the use of the premises as a funeral parlour would not adversely affect the village, since a second funeral director - the Co-op Coxheath Funeralcare - was located almost next door.
To see more planning applications and other public notices for your area, click here.
Currently, the Spice Lounge takeaway service is by collection only.
Coxheath village centre already has a number of take-away restaurants, including Coxheath Fish Bar, Phoenix House Chinese, Coxheath Kebab and Pizza and Coxheath Tandoori Takeaway.
The new business will open from 3pm to 10pm, Sunday to Thursday, and from 3pm to 11pm on Friday and Saturday.