Tesco has applied to sell alcohol from 6am to midnight at the former Gamecock pub on the A20 in West Kingsdown. Comments close on 20 November 2026.

Tesco has applied for a licence to sell alcohol from 6am to midnight, seven days a week, at the former Gamecock pub on London Road, West Kingsdown. Residents have until 20 November to comment. (public notice, Sevenoaks Chronicle, 29 October 2026)

Tesco Stores Limited made the application on 23 October. It is on the district council’s register as 26/04624/LAPRE. (Sevenoaks District Council, premises licence tracker)

Where it is

The Gamecock stands on the A20 London Road, postcode TN15 6EL. West Kingsdown is about five miles north-east of Sevenoaks town centre. The pub is no longer trading. CAMRA’s pub guide records it as closed since 1 May 2025, with a change of use granted. (CAMRA, Gamecock, West Kingsdown)

What the planning permission allows

The building’s planning permission, 25/03594/FUL, was applied for on 24 December 2025. It covers:

  • a change of use from the former pub to shop use (Class E)
  • taking down single-storey side and rear additions, with new extensions on the ground and first floors
  • turning the first-floor flat into two flats
  • three two-storey detached houses to the south of the pub
  • parking, landscaping and highway works on the A20

(Sevenoaks District Council, application 25/03594/FUL)

The planning description does not name a retailer. The applicants are now working through its conditions. On 8 October, details went to the council for the demolition and construction plan, drainage, archaeology and tree protection. All four are awaiting a decision. (Sevenoaks District Council, application 26/02663/DETAIL) A minor amendment to the permission, 26/02552/NMA, was lodged in September, as we reported at the time.

Tesco has not announced an opening date or said what size of store it plans.

What it means for you

The licence would allow:

  • sale of alcohol to take away, Monday to Sunday, 6am to midnight
  • late-night refreshment (hot food or drink), Monday to Sunday, 11pm to midnight

To see the full application, call the Licensing Partnership on 01732 227004. To comment, write by 20 November 2026 to:

  • email: licensing@sevenoaks.gov.uk
  • post: Licensing Partnership, PO Box 182, Sevenoaks, Kent TN13 1GP

Comments should be about crime and disorder, public safety, public nuisance or protecting children from harm. Those are the four tests a licensing decision is made on. The council’s register showed no comments as of 10 November.

Other licensed shops in the Fawkham and West Kingsdown ward include West Kingsdown Mini-Market and WKD-Essentials. (Sevenoaks District Council, premises licence tracker)

More planning news from across the district is in our Sevenoaks planning applications guide.