A High Street property is set to get a new lease of life after sitting empty for almost two decades.

The three-storey building at 153-155 High Street, opposite TK Maxx, is undergoing a makeover after plans were first approved in 2019.

It was previously occupied by British childrenswear chain Adams Kids, which collapsed into administration in January 2009 and ceased trading.

The plans approved in 2019 will see the building’s upper floors converted into six flats, including private balconies.

A further three flats will be built in a block behind the building, separated by a landscaped communal garden.

The vacant ground floor shop will also be refurbished with a new traditional shopfront to replace the outdated Adams Kids frontage.

The building’s long-awaited restoration will be welcome news for local shoppers and visitors after years serving as a neglected backdrop to Chatham High Street.

Future Medway understands that work did not start immediately due to several attempts to sell the building.

It was eventually bought for £550,000 last May.

Builders have now been seen demolishing the existing shopfront and preparing the site for the main construction works, although a timescale has not been confirmed.

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