A couple who fulfilled their dream of converting an old toilet block into a micropub will be expanding the site.

Dave and Sasha Miller opened The Cotton Mill Micro Pub in Station Road, Swanley, in 2018 after years of working as general managers at pubs in London.

Dave, 37, first found out about the block after seeing it being advertised as an office space.

He told KentOnline: “The big drive for me was that I wanted to use a building which already had character.

“I didn’t want it to be yet another micropub which opened in yet another shop. It just doesn’t have the same feel or story.

“I did all the building work myself so from start to finish it’s all been done by me. It’s been quite a journey to build a business ourselves and then manage and run it.”

Sasha, 31, added: “We both came from a pub background, we’ve run pubs in places like Eltham, Woolwich and Lewisham.

“We were presented with the opportunity and we took it. I think it’s a dream for most people to open and run your own pub. We got the planning permission approved and took it from there.”

The couple, who live in Biddenden, near Tenterden, say they’ve spent around £60,000 on the pub to date, but the money has gone back into it.

They recently extended their inside seating area after the taxi office in the back corner of the building shut.

“We’d always said to Swanley Town Council that if it ever became available we’d want it because then we’ve got the whole building,” Sasha explained.

“As soon as they vacated the council got in touch and told us we could have it if we wanted it.

“It took a bit of building work but it’s created such a nice space for our customers.

“They can now go round to a little snug corner and there’s a darts board in there as well. There’s also an additional toilet now.

“It’s put another layer to the community feel of the pub which has been lovely in the past few months.”

The pub shut for a short period in January to upgrade its bar and make it bigger.

Dave, who previously lived in Sidcup, said: “We originally opened with a bar that was fit for purpose at the time.

“We do a lot of outdoor and live music events, and as soon as we became busier the bar just wasn’t fit for purpose anymore.

“We had to make the choice to improve the bar and enlarge it and we chose January to do that as it’s the quietest month of the year.”

The couple, who have been married for seven years, have just received planning permission for a further extension which includes a kitchen.

It means they’ll be able to start offering a small menu with weekly roast dinners and pizza in the summer.

Dave explained: “Most of the time we can’t meet the demand at the moment of the people that want to enjoy the pub and have the food.

“We approached an architect to come up with a plan to improve that.

“We’ll be having another extension which adds on to the front of the building toward the roads. It means we’ll be able to fit around 30 more people for seating.”

They will also be building a brick wall to make the garden area safer for children.

Sasha said: “At the moment we know going to the pub is not the first thing on people’s list of things to do with money and things but everyone’s been such a great support to us in the community.

“It fulfils us, that’s the main reason we wanted to put a pub in somewhere like Swanley, is to be a part of the community and bring something that has never really been done here before.

“We have come so far from the first day’s trading. I am immensely proud of all we have done and look forward to serving the community for a long time.”