A cocktail bar which was believed to be the first business in Kent to accept cryptocurrency could now be transformed into a convenience store.

Soirée in Preston Street, Faversham, closed in May last year after six years in the town centre and has been empty in the prominent location ever since.

But the bar, alongside an also-vacant clothing store Empire next door, has been eyed up as a site for the town’s first Nisa Local branch.

It is not yet known when exactly the independently-owned shop would open, with work required to convert the two units into one as well as tidy up the front of the building.

The name on the application is Pinal Amin, who runs the KGN News store further down in Preston Street.

First opening in 2017, Soirée marketed itself as a “cocktail bar, lounge, garden and music venue playing host to an array of eclectic events throughout the year”.

In 2021, the venue made headlines as owner Oliver Branson-Cole decided to start accepting digital currencies Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Litecoin in exchange for food and drinks. He had hoped to open trade to other payment methods in the future.

Customers who wished to pay in Bitcoin could scan a QR-style code on tables or at the bar, using a mobile phone.

Mr Branson-Cole said at the time: "I've always been a bit innovative.

"I think that this potentially could be part of the future in finance - being able to purchase things with a decentralised currency."

Sadly, Soirée closed last year.

First constructed in 1937, the building Nisa Local hopes to occupy has undergone drastic changes in recent times.

It has seen many different businesses take up residence, including a once-popularWimpy restaurant.

Reaction to the proposal has been somewhat muted, though Robin Sayewell said on Swale Borough Council’s planning portal: “It is good to see that this application has been made to take over two empty premises.

“The change to shop fronts is minimal retaining the recessed part to one unit, although this will no longer be used as a doorway it appears.”