Plans to turn a once popular school uniform shop into a kebab house have been given the green light.

The owners of The Sewing Shop, in Echo Square, Gravesend, unexpectedly announced the store had closed earlier this year due to health reasons.

At the time parents who were waiting to collect orders were shocked to find a note on the door telling them the business was shut.

It directed them to the new supplier, Simmonds and Sons, a 10-mile drive away at the Dockside Outlet Centre in Chatham.

The sign, dated May 12, added: “Exciting news. The Sewing Shop is now part of Simmonds and Co Ltd.

“If you have an outstanding paid school order or an alteration placed with the Sewing Shop before May 10 we will be in contact with you to arrange collection.

“Schools have been notified and transition arrangements are currently being undertaken.

“We would ask you to be patient at this time but further information on uniform fittings will follow shortly.”

The shop, which spanned two units on the parade, stocked uniforms for almost every primary and secondary school in the Gravesham borough and parents had been using it to kit their children out for decades.

It has been vacant since May but in September a planning application was submitted to Gravesham council to change the use of one of the units to a restaurant and takeaway.

In the submitted cover letter, the applicant Mr Harding, of Oaklands Property and Developments Limited, said after marketing the shop the “only viable interest is from hot food businesses”.

Therefore, he had requested that the property be used as such by serving kebabs and pizzas with an inside seating area, serving counter and storage room.

The proposals were approved by council officers this month, despite three letters of objection, meaning there will now be three takeaways along the six-unit parade.

In their decision report, they said: “It is noted that 50% is not ideal, but given that the site forms part of a wider local centre with no other hot takeaway units, the clustering of uses on this section of parade would not be considered excessive.

“However, it should be noted that any additional takeaway use on this parade would be resisted.”

The kebab and pizza house will open in one of the two units The Sewing Shop occupied and there have been no applications submitted yet for the other half.

Concerns were raised over the lack of parking which residents claim often leads to motorists abandoning their cars illegally but officers said there were no highway objections.

The report added: “Illegal parking can be controlled and enforced outside of the planning process.”

There is a council car park nearby with 23 spaces and there are 10 on-road spaces in front of the shop.

Officers concluded: “The proposed development complies with all relevant national and local planning policies.”

The restaurant and takeaway will be open seven days a week from 11am to 11pm, similar to the other businesses.