A bid to transform a disused bus station building into a bubble tearoom has been given the green light.

The proposal involves converting the former ticket office in St George’s Lane, Canterbury – opposite the Fenwick department store - into a 28-seat venue.

Plans unveiled in March to revamp the site have now been approved by Canterbury City Council.

The bubble tea shop will be the 19th in Kent, with the majority of those opening since 2021 in what has been a growing craze across the county.

In Canterbury alone there are four such businesses currently up and running, two of which opened in the city within the last six months.

The city council’s planning team waved through the lastest proposals, saying it would “preserve the character and appearance of the conservation area”.

“The proposed development would not involve the loss of retail space and is in a highly sustainable location,” a report states.

“As such, the proposed cafe use is considered to be acceptable in principle.

“Furthermore, the proposed cafe use would not result in an over-concentration of particular uses given the variety of uses within the immediate locality.

“Overall, the proposed use would contribute to the vitality and viability of the locality and is therefore considered to be acceptable.”

It is understood five full-time jobs will be created, along with three part-time roles.

The provisional opening hours are 11am to 9pm seven days a week.

Westgate councillor Michael Dixey previously told KentOnline he wishes the firm the best of luck but wonders how viable it will be with such a huge amount of competition.

"By the bus station, I would expect it to do well because of the foot traffic it would receive and I wish them success," he said.

"I do think it's important that the building is brought back into use rather than staying empty, and it's in quite a good location.

"[But] there are a huge number of bubble tea places in Canterbury and I can't see how they're all going to make a go of it, to be honest."

Cha Lab and Ding Tea, both in St Peter's Street, Canterbury, joined Mooboo and Teastones Boba Hippy in the city in November last year.

Speaking to KentOnline in October, Sev Michaels, the boss of Teastones Boba Hippy in Sun Street, said she believed bubble tea's popularity had surged because youngsters regard it as "their cocktail".

"They look at the menu and they say ‘oh, I’ll have a rose with peach pearls tapioca’ and they find it really exciting," she said.

When asked about the risk of competition to the business, Ms Michaels said: "I’m fine with it because look how many coffee shops there are."

Bubble tea, a concoction of milk, tea and tapioca balls, dates back to Taiwan about 40 years ago and has rapidly spread across the globe.

Making its mark in the US during the 90s, the trend arrived in London in more recent years and has begun to gain popularity in Kent.

Documents submitted to Canterbury City Council by Go To Professional Services show the new leaseholders of the bus station site plan to change the use of the building and erect signs advertising the new business, Chiya Boba and Bingsu.

Constructed between 1997 and 2001, the circular building was initially built to be a passenger waiting area but was soon converted into offices for Stagecoach.

In recent times, it has seen operations from the building cease and was on the rental market for £35,000 a year.