A NEW restaurant serving the best of Turkish cuisine is set to open in Christchurch town centre.

Meram Kitchen is preparing to open its doors and bring the “Turkish culture” to the High Street.

The independent restaurant will be taking over the former William Hill betting shop, and could be ready for customers by the end of the month.

Veli Kircal, who is launching Meram Kitchen alongside his brother Eren, and his father, Erhan, said: "It’ll be the first Turkish restaurant in Christchurch - there’s no kebabs or takeaways or no Turkish culture.

"We wanted to bring that to Christchurch.”

Veli added that Meram Kitchen will boast “fresh” dishes, and a chef with years of experience- his own father.

Another new business could be joining across the road too, with a planning application to change the former Barclays Bank site into a restaurant approved last year.

Whilst applicant Darryl Howells Planning Consultancy has not yet revealed the name of the company taking over the unit, they did hint that it would be a “high profile retailer”.